Lisa Needs Help Kicking Ass Cancer's Ass

Lisa Franklin, an extremely strong, generous, and caring mother, my mother, was undeservingly diagnosed with stage III rectal cancer about a year ago. Just before she was diagnosed, my mom had started two new jobs waitressing at local restaurants…a dim light in the large tunnel that was her journey and wish to become completely independent. Her goal was to become independent of other people that she previously had to rely on because she wasn’t financially able to live on her own.

My mom has expressed to me many times her unparalleled desires to settle down into her own home. About a year and a half ago her desires had started to become reality. She was gifted a mobile home that was in rough shape (no heat or A/C, smoke stains on all the walls, and abnormal wear and tear) albeit, it was hers to call her own. Since the day my mom moved into her mobile home, she has had wild yet achievable aspirations to transform the mobile home into “her home”. My two brothers, my uncle (pictured above), and I frequently visited her to make the settling-in process just a little easier. Not long after she moved into her home she was diagnosed. My family was stunned to say the least. We had no idea how to cope and we knew from that day forward it was going to be the largest uphill battle we’d ever go through.

The fact that the doctors told her she wouldn’t be able to work during chemotherapy and radiation subsequently forced her to rely on the government for medical assistance; something she was very grateful for. Since she was unable to work, she was eligible to receive disability payments. The payments couldn’t come soon enough and she had many bills that were due. Her application for disability payments was declined at first. This was a major set-back because it was halfway through winter at this point. The heat in the mobile home was deemed unsafe because of a crack in the furnace. The crack made it possible for the system to release carbon monoxide into the house. I distinctly remember spending the night at her house in December on an exceptionally frigid weekend. We had the space heaters on full blast the whole night. I woke up around seven in the morning and looked at the thermostat that served no purpose other than recording the temperature of the house which read 55 degrees. My uncle was fed up with the fact that his big sister had to live in these absurd conditions. He bought a carbon monoxide detector and made an executive decision to light the pilot and turn on the heater despite the crack. Unfortunately, the next month, my mother’s electricity bill was ridiculously expensive due to the space heaters running at all hours.

I genuinely believe that throughout all the battles my mother has endured the thing that has helped her the most are her two cats, Charlie and Tori. They have played an instrumental role with helping my mother in regards to her mental health. They have given her support, company, and most of all, another reason to keep fighting.

As of right now, the utility company has turned off her electricity due to the lack of funds. Additionally, she has many other expenses including phone bills, vet bills, rent, groceries, etc. My plea to all that see this page is that my mom receives all the help she can get. She is the most generous person I’ve ever met and she means the world to my brothers and I. In a time where we can’t help her financially, we turn to our friends and pray that you can help us guide her back to where she was prior to her diagnosis. Thank you!