The Lion

Amy chose her tattoo based on a drawing of a lion that was an inspiration of strength for Liz through incredibly rough times.  

Throughout literature and history the lion has symbolized courage and can often be seen as a guardian. Think of the Lions that grace the gates at Buckingham Palace and flanking the New York Public Library as eternal guardians, or the Lions chosen for family crests and tunics of warriors as symbols of unrelenting courage.  

But there is more meaning to this lion than just courage and strength. Being born in August, and a Leo, Liz has always associated with this fierce creature. Her ferocity doesn't come in the form of anger or snap decision making but in her severe loyalty to those she cares about. The relationships she has fostered over the years mean more to her than anything else and she is very protective over them.  

Amy shares these traits with Liz along with the birth month of August. However, Amy's sign lingers on the cusp of the majestic lion, splitting her between the sign of Leo with Liz and Virgo with Amanda.

When Amy brought the original drawing for her tattoo to the artist she made a special request to have each of our zodiac signs woven into the main of the lion, showing how we are all connected through the strength we have together and in each other. 

May the lion Amy now bears on her shoulder always be a sign of the strength that lies within her and around her, and an eternal reminder of the our courageous Lizy the Lion.

2nd Infusion Done!

Today was Liz’s 2^nd infusion!

She has now completed with her first round of therapy.   

Last week’s therapy hit her pretty hard the very next day, so let her know you’re thinking about her tomorrow.  Share funny things, your love and your encouragement and know that your messages, pictures and texts are helping distract her, but she may not be up to chatting in any way tomorrow.

The treatment plan has her off therapy for this next week and she’ll begin her next session on May 31^st.

On a happy note,  Liz and Noel’s wedding was absolutely beautiful! From the moment they saw each other that night, Liz and Noel glowed with a love and happiness you could feel from across the room. It was the perfect backyard wedding.  Not a lot of fuss, only a handful of people in attendance and most importantly it was full of love. Everyone pitched in, in one way or another by making/bringing refreshments, moving chairs or setting up tables. Their coming together to help, made it an even more special night for Liz and Noel.   

 It was truly a magical evening….

….which led to a Magical Honeymoon at Hogsmeade in Universal Studios Hollywood.  They stayed at a nearby hotel and spent the day enjoying the magical world of Harry Potter. It was a brief but exciting getaway and the perfect end to their simple but perfect wedding.   

BIG THANKS go out to:

Amy Sauer who travelled to us and did Liz’s hair and make-up for free.  If you need a hair and make-up girl, please let me know! Amy is amazing!

AND to:

PB Photography who donated the time of 3 photographers to this small wedding, and worked with all of our disorganization throughout the day to capture every single moment.  You guys are fabulous! If anyone needs a photography team, let me know and I'll send you their info!

Chemo Day

The first day of chemo was a success!

Blood work was done, chats with the doctor were had and a couple positive things emerged.

• The doctor said the chemo may not cause her to lose all of her hair but will probably thin it.
• There's a possibility that she could transfer her treatments to the Corona City of Hope Center, which would be much closer to home for her. 

We were put in our own private room for the treatment and the nurses said she should expect to always be placed into her own private room.  If they are full she may have to start in one of the group therapy chairs, but she will be moved into a room at the first opportunity.  The private room was small, but nice. The nurses were lovely, and made sure to continually offer assistance and refreshments from their pantry.  Liz did well and other than being tired of hanging out in hospitals the treatment went fine.  They plugged into her port about 10am and we were done in about 4.5 hours. Which was much shorter than we anticipated. They hydrated her for an hour, then added the anti-nausea medicine for 30 minutes, next came the first chemo bag for about 30 minutes, then the second chemo bag for 1 hour and lastly we finished with more hydration.  Once they started the first chemo treatment, we started watching the Hunger Games on Noel's ipad and it passed the time quite nicely.

They'll be doing a CT scan on her every 2-3 months to check the progress of the cancer and determine if they need to switch medications.

From here on out if you are visiting Liz please do your best to follow these guidelines. It doesn't matter if you're a friend or a relative, everyone must do their best to keep Liz safe from outside germs.

1. Make sure you are healthy.   Even if you think you're just having an allergy attack, this is not the time to visit. Your sneezes and your coughs contaminate the air around her and leave her at risk for illness.  
2. If someone in your home is unwell, you should also refrain from visiting as you may be carrying their illness with you in one way or another. 
3. If you must sneeze or cough while visiting, do it into a handkerchief or your shoulder.  
4. Bring Hand Sanitizer.  Sanitize your hands before interacting with her or anything in her apartment. 
5. Wash your hands thoroughly and often. 
6. Lysol wipe down any surface you have touched before applying hand sanitizer. 
7. Do not share food or drink with her. 
8. Ask before you hug her. It might sound strange, but depending on how she's feeling, hugging might not feel great for her. 
9. Keep your visits short. Her energy levels are pretty low and even maintaining a smile for more than an hour can be exhausting....but she's too nice to kick you out. So please be mindful of the time. 
10. Food.  Our favorite way to express comfort is through nourishing each other. With her digestive tract having been re-routed and the cancer sitting in a awkward part of it, eating is difficult for her and the doctor has suggested soft foods.  Red meat is pretty much out of the picture for the moment, unless she specifically asks for it. Coffee and alcohol are also out. If you would like to bring her food think of easily digested foods.  She's not a fan of soup and has no desire for Bananas, Rice, Applesauce or Broth. (She spent too long on the B.R.A.T. diet)  She has been enjoying fruit and smoothies. Potatoes are great, chicken is okay and pasta would probably set fine with her, (I'm sure ice cream would be an excellent treat too!)  This may all change when the effects of the chemo start kicking in, but it's a good place to start. 

Here's a great article that says a bit more about things to keep in mind when visiting:

http://dadsroundtable.com/health_lifestyle/2014/03/7-rules-follow-visiting-someone-cancer/






We've completed the first round of this battle, but we still have a long way to go. Keep your love and positive support flowing.

Much love to you and yours as well!

Union of Souls- A Marriage that will Transcend

               This evening Elizabeth Anderson and Noel Lemons will join hands, hearts and souls in an intimate wedding ceremony. Though you are not there in body, your spirit and joy will be felt all around them. Please join us wherever you are this beautiful night by lifting a glass in celebration to drink to the health and happiness of this incredible couple. 

This day has been made possible by the love, support and generosity of Mr. & Mrs. Lemons, Mr. & Mrs. Anderson, Amy Saurer, PB Photography, the generous donors of the GoFundMe campaign and numerous other individuals that contributed in one way or another. 

Thank you all for offering your love and unrelenting support! 

Should you desire to bestow a gift on the happy couple, please visit https://www.gofundme.com/life4liz to donate to the medical expense and adventure fund.

Chemo Update

Hi All,


So last week didn't go as planned... as you may have noticed.  It took a bit of frustration and tears, but Liz finally got her chemo rescheduled.

Tomorrow she'll have the drains removed that they left in after the stent placement last week, which should hopefully relieve a lot of the pain she's in right now.

The procedure should be quick and easy, but it does require that she be put under.

Because of the procedure with the drains, her oncologist had to reschedule her chemo start-date to next Tuesday.  It's been a very difficult and trying few days.  Liz has been hoping to get chemo started as soon as possible and it seems like every time she's set to go something comes up to push it off.

She's ready to get on the road to recovery and kick this cancer's butt!

Fawkes the Phoenix

“Fawkes is a phoenix, Harry. Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes.

Around the release of the Sorcerer's Stone film in late 2001 both Danielle and Liz dove head-first into the series; binge reading the books from the first until the last released at the time.

It was love at first page for them, and they journeyed together through the wonder, excitement and pain of the stories as they unfolded in each book. There were midnight release gatherings at the local Barnes & Noble, Walden Books or Borders. Midnight releases then turned into all night read-a-thons and days of discussion about what would happen next. They would plan ahead and schedule vacation days at work for the day after each book release in order to thoroughly devour the book, uninterrupted, as soon as possible.  

Through Liz and Danielle's love of the series, myself, Amy and Amanda became exposed.  We have had countless Harry Potter parties to re-watch the films in anticipation of the release of the next movie in the series and also in celebration of Liz's birthday. These fantastically crafted stories have filled our hearts and brought us together time and time again.

Fawkes in the books represents loyalty as well as bravery in its truest form and the Phoenix itself has represented transformation throughout the ages. For Danielle, getting this tattoo marks this difficult time with the understanding that, (like all things) this too will pass and change must come. The Phoenix illustrates the hope that out of the visceral pain life brings, we can be forged by the fire and change into something braver, brighter and stronger. Fawkes is a reminder that from the ashes, no matter what battle must be fought, we will do so together and our love for Liz will be reborn again and again. 

Tattoo by Artist April Slater with Memento Ink, Springfield, OR

http://www.mementoink.com/