Laura's Fight Against Cancer

Anyone who knows Laura knows what an incredibly strong woman she is. Just in the past couple years, as her husband Roger has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Laura has stepped up as both his caretaker and full-time provider for their family. She is also a great mom to their sixteen year old daughter, Amy, as she navigates the high school years. Despite the time, love, and effort she commits to Roger and Amy, Laura still manages to fit in meaningful time with her adult children and grandkids. She loves Jesus, intentional connection with friends, and time spent in Creation on horseback… she’s always been an example servant and makes the most of her life.


As if her plate was not full enough, we all watched in awe as she gracefully overcame a terrifying diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (squamous cell) in the fall of 2017. After a successful surgery to remove the cancer, Laura picked up right where she left off— caring for Roger, working, being a mom & grandma, and spending time in nature. A clean cancer scan in April 2018 confirmed that she should indeed keep living her life as usual.

However, everything came crashing down this holiday season. After navigating some mysterious leg pain for many months over the fall, Laura learned on December 30th that her cancer is back in her lung and has metastasized to her leg; the flip from “Remission” to “Stage IV” felt almost instantaneous.


Laura and her family are now living on disability, which ends in October. Instead of being able to care for her dependents and earning a living, much of her time is now devoted to getting scans, sitting in waiting rooms, and receiving bleak news at every turn.

At this point, Laura has a drain in her left calf to address the fluids that the cancer is creating (which was part of the mysterious pain and causing the leg to swell). The only course of treatment offered for her cancer is the drug Crizotinib, which, despite the optimism with which it was presented, has been accompanied by a shocking 1-3 year survival rate. Every other treatment and option discussed with her doctors has either been taken off the table or was not considered an option to begin with.

Laura’s “Hail Mary” lies in pursuing the cutting-edge treatment offered through Issels Medical Center. While some of the diagnostics may be covered by insurance, the heft of the cost is not. Laura has felt that God is starting to open doors to this treatment in spite of others having closed.

We are praying that we can bless her with the opportunity to receive this treatment, and that miraculous healing will be seen through the experience...and your love, prayers, and support! Please donate as you feel led, and join us in fighting for the life of our mother, wife, sister, and friend.

Thank you for your generosity!


Laura is posting updates on her battle at CaringBridge.org. You are invited to learn more about her journey and course of treatment (and details about the process with Issels) at that site.