Lisa Olson's Stem Cell Transplant Medical Fund
Donation protected
My name is Lisa and I live in Kansas. I am 56 years old, married (to an awesome man, Jeff) and have two amazing children, A. J. and Scott. I also have a beautiful daughter-in-law, Hannah and the most precious grandson ever. I have family that is close to me and family that is far away that give me lots of moral support along with many friends, near and far.
In 2007, after I had a lump removed from my left thigh, I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma or NHL is a blood type of cancer that is found in the lymph nodes and/or in the bone marrow.
I underwent 20 radiation treatments at that time.
All was good with the NHL being in remission, until 2014.
In July of 2014, I went to the ER to have my leg checked out due to severe swelling.
After many tests, I was diagnosed with Grade II Follicular Lymphoma. Follicular Lymphoma is a common type of NHL that is less evasive as other NHL lymphomas. I underwent 6 cycles of chemotherapy. I came through the chemo treatments with flying colors. I felt great and was able to continue to work at both of my jobs throughout treatments.
In January of 2015, I again went to the ER due to swelling and redness in the right side of my neck. After a CT scan, it was determined that I had formed a blood clot around the chemo port that was in my right-side shoulder area. They diagnosed me with DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) and SVCS (Superior Vena Cava Syndrome). I underwent a surgery to help try and break up the blood clot. The surgery was some sort of a success, but it didn’t break up the blood clot totally. I was then put on a blood thinner for 3 months. After that 3 months, the blood clot was gone.
In February of 2015, through at CT and a PET scan, they found a mass in my colon. I was then diagnosed with colon cancer. I had a colon resection done to remove the mass. They were able to get all of the mass but the cancer had metastasized to mesenteric lymph nodes. I then went through 6 more cycles of chemotherapy. Once again, I came through with flying colors and to this day, the colon cancer has not returned.
In February of 2016, my left leg began to swell again so I went in for a CT and a PET scan. They found a lymph node that had grown in size since my last CT and PET scan. They did a biopsy of the lymph node and I was then diagnosed with Diffuse Large-B Cell Lymphoma. This type of NHL is the more aggressive type. It is fast growing as where the Follicular Lymphoma is slow growing.
I went through 6 cycles of chemotherapy, in which I lost my hair and had some complications. During this time, I also lost my Father in April of 2016. This made it a little bit harder to get through, but I made it through, because I knew that is what he, my family and friends wanted me to do. My last treatment was in August of 2016.
Everything was going well, my hair grew back, much thicker and curly this time. I wasn’t quite at 100%, but I was getting there. My CT and PET scans looked good up until November of 2018.
In November of 2018, I went in for my 6 months checkup and CT scan. They found a mass in my left-side groin area. I went in for a surgical biopsy and it came back as Diffuse Large-B Cell Lymphoma, again.
So, my plan of care and treatment will be different this time. I will be going through an Autologus Stem Cell Transplant in Omaha, NE. I have to get 2-3 cycles of chemotherapy here in Salina, then a PET scan and if everything is good, I will then travel to Omaha for the stem cell transplant. I will be there for about 5-6 weeks or longer. The first two weeks will be schooling on what to expect and a bunch of tests a long with the extraction of the stem cells. The next 3-4 weeks will be more chemotherapy and then the actual transplant. Once I am well enough to be discharged from the hospital, I will have to stay in the Omaha area for about 1-2 weeks. This is to make sure that the transplant was successful and that my immune system is working like it should.
I am not one that likes to ask for help. I usually am the one to offer help when or if needed with whatever I can do. This whole process will put us (my husband and I) in a huge financial bind. As most people know, having health insurance does help, but it doesn’t always cover everything. As everyone also knows that because you have major health issues, life goes on, as does the bills, such as house payments and of course, the medical bills that the health insurance won’t cover.
Any help would be so greatly appreciated, you have no idea!! If you can’t contribute, I totally understand. If you could say a prayer, that will make me just as happy. I’m a firm believer in prayers and have seen them work many times.
Thank you all for reading my story and I apologize for it being so long and detailed. I wanted everyone to know the whole story.
I have a moto:
It’s Not About Bravery
It’s About Doing What I Need To Do
By Not Giving Up Or Giving In
To Win.
Thank you again and may God bless you in so many ways!!
In 2007, after I had a lump removed from my left thigh, I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma or NHL is a blood type of cancer that is found in the lymph nodes and/or in the bone marrow.
I underwent 20 radiation treatments at that time.
All was good with the NHL being in remission, until 2014.
In July of 2014, I went to the ER to have my leg checked out due to severe swelling.
After many tests, I was diagnosed with Grade II Follicular Lymphoma. Follicular Lymphoma is a common type of NHL that is less evasive as other NHL lymphomas. I underwent 6 cycles of chemotherapy. I came through the chemo treatments with flying colors. I felt great and was able to continue to work at both of my jobs throughout treatments.
In January of 2015, I again went to the ER due to swelling and redness in the right side of my neck. After a CT scan, it was determined that I had formed a blood clot around the chemo port that was in my right-side shoulder area. They diagnosed me with DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) and SVCS (Superior Vena Cava Syndrome). I underwent a surgery to help try and break up the blood clot. The surgery was some sort of a success, but it didn’t break up the blood clot totally. I was then put on a blood thinner for 3 months. After that 3 months, the blood clot was gone.
In February of 2015, through at CT and a PET scan, they found a mass in my colon. I was then diagnosed with colon cancer. I had a colon resection done to remove the mass. They were able to get all of the mass but the cancer had metastasized to mesenteric lymph nodes. I then went through 6 more cycles of chemotherapy. Once again, I came through with flying colors and to this day, the colon cancer has not returned.
In February of 2016, my left leg began to swell again so I went in for a CT and a PET scan. They found a lymph node that had grown in size since my last CT and PET scan. They did a biopsy of the lymph node and I was then diagnosed with Diffuse Large-B Cell Lymphoma. This type of NHL is the more aggressive type. It is fast growing as where the Follicular Lymphoma is slow growing.
I went through 6 cycles of chemotherapy, in which I lost my hair and had some complications. During this time, I also lost my Father in April of 2016. This made it a little bit harder to get through, but I made it through, because I knew that is what he, my family and friends wanted me to do. My last treatment was in August of 2016.
Everything was going well, my hair grew back, much thicker and curly this time. I wasn’t quite at 100%, but I was getting there. My CT and PET scans looked good up until November of 2018.
In November of 2018, I went in for my 6 months checkup and CT scan. They found a mass in my left-side groin area. I went in for a surgical biopsy and it came back as Diffuse Large-B Cell Lymphoma, again.
So, my plan of care and treatment will be different this time. I will be going through an Autologus Stem Cell Transplant in Omaha, NE. I have to get 2-3 cycles of chemotherapy here in Salina, then a PET scan and if everything is good, I will then travel to Omaha for the stem cell transplant. I will be there for about 5-6 weeks or longer. The first two weeks will be schooling on what to expect and a bunch of tests a long with the extraction of the stem cells. The next 3-4 weeks will be more chemotherapy and then the actual transplant. Once I am well enough to be discharged from the hospital, I will have to stay in the Omaha area for about 1-2 weeks. This is to make sure that the transplant was successful and that my immune system is working like it should.
I am not one that likes to ask for help. I usually am the one to offer help when or if needed with whatever I can do. This whole process will put us (my husband and I) in a huge financial bind. As most people know, having health insurance does help, but it doesn’t always cover everything. As everyone also knows that because you have major health issues, life goes on, as does the bills, such as house payments and of course, the medical bills that the health insurance won’t cover.
Any help would be so greatly appreciated, you have no idea!! If you can’t contribute, I totally understand. If you could say a prayer, that will make me just as happy. I’m a firm believer in prayers and have seen them work many times.
Thank you all for reading my story and I apologize for it being so long and detailed. I wanted everyone to know the whole story.
I have a moto:
It’s Not About Bravery
It’s About Doing What I Need To Do
By Not Giving Up Or Giving In
To Win.
Thank you again and may God bless you in so many ways!!
Organizer
Lisa Von Niederhausern-Olson
Organizer
Salina, KS
