Lori's Breast Cancer Battle, Bucket List & Beyond!

"On good days, I just want to fight and conquer the world and attempt a normal life. On bad days, I just cry until I'm exhausted and start thinking about my kids future without me in it." This was a direct quote from Lori exactly five years after her Breast Cancer Diagnosis. 

Lori Holveck was first diagnosed with breast cancer almost 7 years ago, at the age of 31. Her daughter, Natalee,  was 3 years old and her son, Andrew, was 6 months. She felt a lump while breastfeeding her son and assumed it was a clogged milk duct. Two months later, during her annual exam her physician diagnosed her with a cyst and sent her to a specialist. A lumpectomy revealed the truth, Breast Cancer. 

The cancer was  in her right breast, but there was a 65% chance of it spreading to the left side. Rather than going through everything all over again, she opted to have a double mastectomy and then reconstructive surgery.  After 6 rounds of chemotherapy and 31 treatments of chest wall radiation, Lori was in remission. 

However, in August 2015, Lori was diagnosed with a recurrence of breast cancer that had metastasized to her liver, lungs, bones and brain. She will be on chemotherapy for the rest of her life. But she doesn't let this bring her or her family down.  

Since 2015, Lori has continued her chemotherapy treatments and living the most normal life she can, given the circumstances. Just this past March 2019, Lori received news from her oncologist that two nodules on her lungs had started to grow rapidly. The nodules had begun pushing on her bronchi making it difficult to breathe when walking. She was immediately started on direct radiation to the nodules on her lungs. She went through an intense 10 rounds of lung radiation every day for two weeks.  Since completing the radiation in April, she immediately started with chemotherapy treatments again. She is currently on a treatment schedule every 3 weeks and each session is 5-7 hours.  This treatment has been so hard on her body. The side effects cause every bone in her body to ache, making even resting on the couch difficult. 

Lori is a single mom of two and a full time waitress. Her children are both involved in sports year round. No matter how she is feeling, she has never once missed any of their games. She does not let this disease rule her life or the life that she wants for her children. When her nodules started to grow in March her oncologist told her that now is the time to "get her affairs in order" as it's highly unlikely that she will be with us this time next year. 

Even with an outlook like that from her doctor, she still FIGHTS every single day with every ounce of energy and breath in her body. SHE WILL NOT GIVE UP. She is a WARRIOR and the strongest person I have ever met. 

I have started this page in hopes to raise money for Lori to enjoy what time that she has left with her family and friends.  I am hoping what we raise will help with the many, many medical bills and will also allow her to complete the items on her bucket list like taking Natalee to a PINK Concert, taking Andrew to a Dinosaur Exhibit, visiting Niagara Falls, Disney, Sky Diving and a few others. 

Please take a moment to consider donating to this amazing woman as no contribution is too small to make an impact. 

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.