Support Nicole's Fight Against Stage 4 Cancer

Nicole's Journey — A Fight Fueled by Faith, Love & Strength

Just two weeks before Easter, Nicole Liskiewicz was outside doing what she always does—showing up for others. That day, it was simple yard work: trimming hedges, cleaning up. The next morning, she felt soreness in her back. Like most of us would, she assumed it was a pulled muscle and powered through with ibuprofen and Tylenol.

A week later, Nicole visited TCO urgent care. An X-ray showed nothing alarming. She was prescribed a five-day course of steroids and a muscle relaxer. But the pain never let up.

Coworkers suggested a chiropractor or massage. She tried both and felt some relief—but it was short-lived. She had an MRI. Initially, physical therapy was recommended… but before even receiving the results, her PT appointment was canceled and instead, the doctor asked to meet in person.

Expecting nothing serious, Nicole went alone.

That’s when everything changed.

She was told there was a fracture in her L4-L5 vertebrae and “suspicious spots” that could be cancerous.

She quickly reached out to a former United Hospital colleague—now at Minnesota Oncology—who helped expedite the next steps. A CT scan confirmed cancer in her spine and suspicious lesions on her liver and a mass in the rectum. A liver biopsy was scheduled for May 21, and a colonoscopy for May 23.

After enduring all of this, we thought we might get a moment to breathe. But soon after returning home from her colonoscopy, Nicole developed excruciating pain in her knee. We rushed her to the United ER, where she waited in pain, in a wheelchair, for hours. When they finally got her a room and some relief, we told the ER staff, “This is one of your own.”

She was admitted to the ER on May 23, and once again, the tide turned.

More tests followed: CTs, MRIs, and bloodwork. They discovered additional suspicious spots—on her right femur, right hip, and knee. Nicole now has constant shooting pain in her lower back and right leg, with severely limited mobility.

After consultation with specialists in Oncology, Orthopedics, and Spine, she was discharged, though the pain and challenges remain intense.

Since being released, she’s continued fighting with a team of doctors. She now has a treatment plan in place:

Radiation to targeted areas for pain relief

Chemotherapy to fight the disease systemically

Immunotherapy to activate her immune system to fight cancer cells

We’ve learned the cancer originated in her rectum, spread to her liver through the bloodstream, and now resides in multiple bones which is diagnosed as NEC or small cell commonly found as lung cancer.

How You Can Help

Nicole is brave, loving, and strong—but she cannot do this alone.

This diagnosis is rare, aggressive, and devastating—but we believe in hope, in prayer, and in miracles.

We're asking for your help:

PRAYERS – for healing, peace, and strength

DONATIONS – to help cover rising medical costs, mobility equipment, missed work, travel, and day-to-day needs

SHARE – so others can rally behind Nicole’s fight

Every gift matters. Every prayer helps. Nicole has spent her life uplifting others—now, we have a chance to uplift her.

Thank you for walking with us in this fight.

With love and faith,

The Liskiewicz, Becker & Quinn Family