Please help Lisa get her life back!

Lisa is a beautiful wife, mother, daughter, and friend. She has a kind soul, a great sense of humor, and always welcomes others with open arms. In 2007, Lisa was diagnosed with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, or MGUS. This disease totally changed her life and caused her to resign from her job due to frequent infections, bone pain, neuropathy, and fatigue. There was always a small chance (1%) that the disease could progress to cancer, and in 2015, the dreaded words we never wanted to hear were spoken by her doctor: “Your numbers have increased significantly, and you have multiple myeloma.” This type of cancer forms in plasma cells and affects the bone marrow. Where antibodies should be helping the body fight infection, these cancer cells attack the organs, starting with the kidneys. There is no cure for this cancer, only treatments with the hope of getting to remission. Lisa’s cancer is aggressive, though, so unfortunately remission may not come as easily or last as long as a non-aggressive cancer patient. On September 4, 2015, she began her first treatment of chemotherapy. Her regimen consisted of an injection once a week, five pills once a week, and another pill every day, along with other medications given to prevent infections and lessen side effects. On January 27, 2016, she began a bone marrow (also called stem cell) transplant to try and replace the bad cells with healthy ones. For about two weeks she was an inpatient in the hospital receiving treatment, and after that followed with outpatient treatment daily for four months. The side effects, fear, anxiety, and stress from having cancer are more than enough for a person to have to handle, so adding the cost of treatment to that mix is unthinkable. For example, just one of her medications costs about $12,000 a month, and the transplant cost over $200,000! Insurance will help, but there will be a significant amount billed to us. Our family is trying to do everything we can to be supportive, but covering the costs is an impossible feat. Any donation from you will help tremendously and be greatly appreciated. Lisa is staying positive and strong, and she WILL beat this disease.   -Her daughter, Hayley