Over the last few weeks, Elise's and our world has changed very quickly. Our daughter was officially diagnosed with Stage IV Primary Mediastinal Large B-Cell Lymphoma (PMBCL), an aggressive and rare subtype of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. While we finally have answers for the pain and discomfort she has been experiencing for months, it has still been difficult to process how suddenly life can change.

Doctors discovered a large 13 × 8 × 8 cm tumor in Elise’s chest pressing against her heart and severely narrowing her superior vena cava, one of the body’s major veins, along with a second mass 2.2 cm in her pancreas that caused jaundice. Despite the urgency to begin treatment, Elise made the incredibly selfless decision to delay chemotherapy briefly to preserve her future ability to become a mother through egg retrieval. During those two weeks, both tumors continued growing rapidly (Now 14.2 x 10.6 cm and 2.7 cm). Elise has now begun six cycles of intensive DA-EPOCH-R chemotherapy, requiring 96-hour inpatient treatments every 21 days over the next five months. While PMBCL is aggressive and fast-moving, we are holding tightly to the hope that the cancer is as highly responsive to chemotherapy and with the favorable prognosis the doctors describe.

Anyone who knows Elise knows how strong, compassionate, and resilient she is. She continues to face this battle with incredible courage and grace. As many know, cancer affects every part of life emotionally, physically, and financially. Between hospital stays, treatment, lost work, and unexpected medical expenses, we are asking for help to ease some of the burden so Elise can focus on healing. If you are able to donate, share this page, or keep Elise in your thoughts and prayers, our family is deeply grateful. Every act of kindness means more than we can express. We truly believe Elise is going to beat this!