· 18 September 03 – Lisa update – Well, it has been quite a journey since February when Lisa was first diagnosed with breast cancer and we set up this website so you could all get the latest information “straight from the source”. You have been wonderful in sending your messages of encouragement and support to Lisa and to her family. I know that Lisa has read every one and has responded to as many as she was able. She and Mark and the kids are very grateful for the amazing outpouring of love and prayers that have been offered on Lisa’s behalf. It has been truly uplifting for all of us close to Lisa to see how much she is loved. Now Lisa has reached a wonderful milestone. On Tuesday, September 16, she received her final radiation treatment!! J It has been a long haul, but Lisa has been amazing through it all. She was determined to go to Alaska even while undergoing chemotherapy treatments and she reached that goal. She was determined to go back to teaching in August even while undergoing radiation five times a week and she reached that goal also. She has been teaching full time since school started and hasn’t missed a day. Her hair is growing back quickly and this week she made her school debut minus the wig. She actually looks pretty cute with that buzz cut look and her hair is so soft that my husband has a really hard time keeping his hands off her head J. I have to watch those two! (But truly, if you see her, rub her head J. Lisa won’t mind.) Lisa goes back to the doctors in Indy this month and if all is well, will have appointments every three months for a couple of years to monitor her health. We will keep praying for continued good health and no recurrence of the cancer. Thank you again for your love and support during this trying time. God bless you all.

· 13 August 03 - Lisa update – Once again, I have been lazy about updating this site so I apologize to those who are wondering what is going on with Lisa. Actually, a lot has been going on with the beginning of school on Monday. Lisa has been hard at it since the Monday after our return from Alaska and has spent lots of days getting her classroom ready. She also started her radiation treatments on Monday, August 3. Lisa is now into her second week of radiation. She will be going for 6 ½ weeks, five days a week, with about 15-20 minutes of treatment time each day. Overall, she seems to be doing well but does get tired more easily now that she is no longer getting her shots. She plans to teach full time but may have to take a day off now and then to simply have a day of rest. Of course, it may simply be that now that she is 50!!!! (Aug. 10^th)– she is just old and tired J. Mark did a good job of putting together a last minute surprise party (with Jenny’s help) on Saturday night. She said she didn’t suspect a thing. So now it is on with the school year, get this radiation treatment over with, and then return for check-ups every three months or so for awhile. Please continue to keep Lisa and her family in your prayers.

· 28 July 03 – Lisa update – Just a quick note to anyone who is checking up on Lisa that we arrived home safely on Saturday night from our big Alaskan adventure. It was quite an awesome trip with amazing scenery and a very busy schedule. However, Lisa did GREAT! She hung in there on the planes, trains, and automobiles, through the hikes in the rain, through the small plane ride over Mt. McKinley and down onto the glacier (much better than Mark did J. (Can anyone say barfbag? J ) and even through the endless shopping trips. What a trooper! I don’t have all the details of the start of the radiation treatment but I know that she meets with Dr. McGarvey here in Madison sometime this week and will start radiation (five times a week for 5-6 weeks, I think) sometime soon after that. She is beginning to get a little “peachfuzz” so we are anxiously waiting to see what hair color she ends up with and whether or not it will be curly. I’ll get Tom to post some pictures sometime soon so you can see how great Lisa looked on the trip. More later.

· 29 June 03 – Lisa update –FINALLY – Okay, Okay, summer is here and I have been playing too much and have been neglected my updating duties. And there is so much news to tell –good news and bad news. The BIGGEST good (great, wonderful, exciting) news is that Mark and Lisa are going to be grandparents!! Tommy and Tracy have announced that baby “Walnut” Cheatham is expected around February 06, 2004. Tracy is doing well at this point though is experiencing the early pregnancy fatigue. The bad news is that Tommy and Tracy have just moved to Denver so they are MUCH farther away. The good news is that Mark and Lisa love to travel and aren’t afraid to hop on a plane and run out there to hold and totally spoil that little nut. (Between Mark and Lisa and John and Donna, I don’t know if this child has a chance of not being totally rotten J.) The bad news (but only for you, Jenny and Erich) is that the pressure is now on Jenny and Erich to provide a little playmate cousin for “the Walnut.” Perhaps a “little pecan” would be good J. (Kyle, you just keep studying hard and take good care of my daughter at school, okay?)

Now, back to Lisa! More good news. Lisa has had two rounds of the Taxol and will have her third (and last!!) on Wednesday, July 2^nd. Since we are leaving on our trip to Alaska on the 10^th, it was decided that Lisa will just have three Taxol treatments. She has to wait a month after finishing the chemo before starting radiation, so by the time we return from our trip, she will be about ready to start the radiation. This way she may get a couple of weeks in before school starts. Lisa seems to be handling the Taxol fairly well. It does cause pain and aches but she has some wonderful pain medication that is helping with that. It also causes her feet to hurt if she is very active or on her feet for a long time. Tennis causes little blood blisters on her feet, but she seems to be coping with this “minor” problem. One side effect that Lisa has NOT experienced, so far, is the loss of her eyebrows and eyelashes. They told her it would happen in two weeks and it has been almost four so maybe she is sliding by on that one. Overall, she looks great, and has been able to stay fairly active. She even helped Mark “Grandpa” Cheatham paint at the pre-school all day yesterday. She was pretty pooped when we saw her last night but I figure she must be doing pretty well if Mark would make her work that hard. So now it is on to Alaska. We are leaving on my 50^th birthday and I know that Lisa is planning to make that day a wonderful, happy, PLEASANT day for her very dear friend. I KNOW that she would not do anything to embarrass me, would you, Lisa? I know you are not that kind of person. (My only hope is that with chemo brain, she forgets her plan.)

· 04 June 03 – Lisa update – Lisa just reported in from her fifth chemo treatment and the first round of the drug Taxol. She says that she is feeling pretty good right now (about 9:00 PM) so perhaps this drug will not make her quite so nauseous. Lisa reports that it was a VERY LONG day at the hospital. She had her blood work done and then had to wait for about two hours before her chemo. Then they temporarily lost the results of the blood work. They were getting ready to draw more blood and do the blood work again when the nurse who drew the blood went in search of the results and found them! Lisa’s white blood count was good, but her hemoglobin was down to 10 (12-14 is normal) so they gave her a shot to bring that up. We don’t want her complaining of “iron-poor blood” while we are hiking the wilds of Alaska! We’re not ready to join the Geritol set quite yet. The administration of the Taxol takes quite a bit longer than the previous drugs because they administer a steroid prior to the Taxol to help prevent allergic reactions to the drug. She said they had to watch her pretty closely for the first 15-20 minutes after starting the Taxol to see if she reacted to it. She said that after the first 15 minutes they gave her a piece of tubing and told her that if she had a problem to throw the tubing into the hall and yell. Hmmm. I GUESS you could do that if you were having a deadly allergic reaction to something J. Luckily, Mark was keeping watch at her side, ever vigilant-at least, when he was awake J. Anyway, the whole process takes about five hours and Lisa had to lie down the whole time with her feet higher than her head so that her port worked properly. Luckily, the anti-nausea drug they give her prior to treatment, along with a dose of Benadryl, made her quite sleepy so she was able to snooze a little of the time away. Lisa still has that nagging cough but the doctor said her lungs are clear. Lisa said that she takes medication for the asthma every 12 hours and it is effective for about 10 hours, then the coughing begins. Hopefully, that will clear up soon. It was a long day at the hospital but Mark and Lisa got to have dinner with Jenny and Tommy afterwards so it was a nice ending to a long day. Now, five down, two or three to go (she may be able to skip treatment eight) and Lisa is still hanging in there, still smiling, still playing tennis, STILL waiting for grandchildren!! (no pressure Tommy and Jenny :) . Keep it up, Lisa! We’re praying for you!

· 23 May 03 - Lisa Update – Chemo 4 is now history and Lisa is hanging in there with the side effects and is trying to keep busy. Her blood work was fine again this time and she was feeling well enough to go out to eat after the treatment. However, she continues to experience some nausea for several days after each treatment. She has also developed a nagging cough that was diagnosed as asthma and the doctors have given her an inhaler to help treat that. Today, she also complained of her eyes burning. She isn’t sure whether that is related to the chemo or to her allergies. Lisa is walking each morning and doing some strengthening exercises. She is also playing tennis (ladies doubles) on Monday mornings and last week won each of the four sets she played. So we don’t have to feel TOO sorry for her J. She continues to do lesson plans for her class at Southwestern, to grade papers each night, and to attend end of school class activities when she can. With Chemo 4 down, Lisa is finished with the drugs Adriamycin and Cytoxin. On June 4 Lisa will begin her treatment with Taxol. Her treatment time will increase with the Taxol and will last approximately five hours every other Wednesday. Potential side effects of the Taxol are increased hair loss (loss of her eyebrows and eyelashes) and she may also experience some neurological symptoms such as tingling in her hands and feet. Hopefully, these will be mild if they occur at all. Lisa finally finished with the ten shot regimen and now will have to only take one shot after each treatment. What a relief. Please continue your prayers for healing for Lisa! She feels very blessed to have such wonderful friends and family supporting her.

· 14 May 03 – Lisa Update –It has been a week since Chemo 3 and it has been an up and down week for Lisa. She did feel a little bit better on the first couple of days after the chemo (not so much nausea) but she has had some bad days with stomach upset since then. It seems to come and go and is not related to anything that she can pinpoint. Today, she says she took one of her nausea pills and was feeling well enough to go with her class for a picnic at the river. Lisa also says the metallic taste is not so bad this time and now just is a “blah” taste. She continues to tire easily and gets a little dizzy when she looks up - which is a bit of a problem when she tosses the ball for her tennis serve. However, she and Judy Freeman did win their first doubles match of the year against Kathy Kugler and Mary Jones (4-6, 6-2,6-2). Way to go Lisa and Judy!! She said she felt pretty weak while playing last night, but feels better when she is up and moving so figures she might as well play as to sit around and think about feeling badly. Lisa has one more chemo treatment with the Adriamycin and Cytoxin (on the 21^st) and then will begin the Taxol. The side effects of the Taxol may be different from the other two drugs. Numbness and tingling in the hands and feet is a common side effect of Taxol so we’ll see what happens there. Thank all of you for your continued love and support during this trying time. Keep up the prayers!

· 7 May 03 - Lisa update –Chemo treatment no. 3 is history! Mark has reported in with the latest chemo results and there is much good news. Lisa’s blood work showed excellent results again with numbers even higher than the two weeks ago. And more good news! In relation to the ten shots Lisa has been giving herself following the chemo treatments to keep her blood count up, the doctors recently received results from a study which showed that one shot is as good as ten. So now Lisa has to give herself only ONE shot, not ten! What a relief! Also, Lisa is trying a new anti-nausea drug called EMEND which appeared (as of 8:30 pm) to be working well. We will know more tomorrow as Thursday and Friday are usually the worst days for the nausea. It will be wonderful if this medication curbs that side effect of the treatments. Overall, Lisa has been doing pretty well it seems to me. You may have noticed the new picture of her in her Derby hat that has been added to the website message page. Lisa was feeling well enough on Saturday to hostess a small Derby party and this is the FIRST PLACE winner of the Derby Hat contest (makes you wonder how bad the others were, doesn’t it?J) No really, it’s beautiful Lisa. Really. Honest.

· 1 May 03 – WOW- I can’t believe that it has been two months since we started this website. So very much has happened in such a short amount of time but Lisa is well on her way to being a cancer SURVIVOR!! It has been a pretty good week so far, I think. The hair is off, the wig has made its debut at school (the kids didn’t mention it. It either looked very real and natural or they were exceedingly polite kids), and the hat collection is growing. Mary Pat and I took Lisa shopping all day on Tuesday. She held up pretty well and spent LOTS of money. She felt pretty confident that the “Well, I do have cancer” defense would work pretty well on Mark. She was right J. As I said, Lisa spent the morning yesterday with her class at Southwestern where she informed the kids that she would not be returning to school this year. It was a tough decision, but Lisa has decided that this is a time she needs to devote to herself and her family and to concentrate on conserving her energy for healing. I talked to one of the parent’s of one of her students this morning and she wholly agreed. She said the kids miss her but now is the time to take care of herself! Other than shopping, Lisa has been doing some gardening this week and enjoying some delicious chicken soup delivered to her on Tuesday evening. She is feeling fairly well but was a little “achy” yesterday. She said the nurse told her she might feel that way when her immune system began to be a bit weaker. She was feeling much better this morning though so it may just have been “trying on 25 outfits” syndrome. We had one small episode of “chemo brain” Tuesday when Lisa was searching deeply into her VERY full cart for a shirt she wanted to put back only to find that she was WEARING it! We were wondering if the “Well, I do have cancer” defense would work for shoplifting J. Next chemo will be next Wednesday, May 7. More later.

· 28 April 03 – WELL- it finally happened! Lisa thought a huge hairy spider was in the shower with her this morning but turns out it was only her hair! She called me and said she wanted a buzz so I told her I’d make a pitcher of margaritas and we’d drink them together and both get a buzz. Turns out, she wanted me to cut her hair very short J. So we did it - with me cutting and Mary Pat offering moral support. Truthfully, it looked good. As we told her, she is so pretty that it really doesn’t matter. She did leave here sporting a darling hat and sunglasses and looking very movie starish. SO, one traumatic moment behind her and one step closer to having all of this finished!! I offered to take a picture with my digital camera but she declined. She seemed to think it might end up on this website. I cannot for the life of me think of why she might think that. The good news is that Lisa played tennis this morning with three other ladies and said it felt wonderful. Wonderful to know that she can still do it and wonderful to be out moving in the fresh morning air. The best news, nothing hurt! She said her serve was a bit weak and that the ladies were mostly kind and didn’t make her run too much (unless they REALLY needed the point J). (We understand, Judy) Lisa continues to tire easily these days and the latest trial is the metallic taste in her mouth all the time now. They have told her to eat several small meals during the day and try not to eat too much at one time. Also, to avoid metal eating utensils. Hopefully this side effect will go away when she starts on the Taxol during her 5^th treatment. We’ll see. Lisa says she is very impressed by and grateful for all of the people at the IU Med center who are involved in her treatment. She is especially impressed by her nurse who has called her almost every day to see how she is doing and who is taking a very active and caring role in making sure that Lisa has everything she needs and is as comfortable as possible. What a blessing to have such a person taking care of her. OK, that is the latest Lisa news. So if you see a beautiful lady walking down the aisle at Walmart sporting a saucy hat and sunglasses, go up and say hi. It’s probably Lisa! We love you, Lisa. Tomorrow we shop until we drop!!

· 23 April 03 –Lisa update – Two chemo treatments down- six to go. Lisa had her second chemo treatment today and to hear Mark tell it, the worst part of the day was that Lisa missed her afternoon nap. Prior to each of the chemo sessions, Lisa has to have some blood work done to see how she is tolerating the drugs, and today’s test results were all very good. I guess those shots are working! Mark said the treatment went well and Lisa didn’t have any nausea until the ride home but even then it was only mild. Hopefully, that will continue the next few days. Lisa has been keeping busy with some work at school even though she is not teaching right now. She spent some time this week working in her classroom and she held a couple of parent-teacher conferences. She finds that she does tire much more quickly these days and that afternoon nap is becoming a necessity more often. Lisa got her hair cut pretty short on Tuesday night in preparation for “the great hair loss”. It looked pretty cute – kind of punky. I think Lisa is being pretty philosophical about the upcoming hair loss and looking on it as a chance to truly understand what Mark has been going through all of these years J. What a wife!! I think Lisa is going to try to get back out on the tennis court sometime this week. She’s a bit worried about her serve being weak, but if she can’t hit that mean cross court winner of hers during the game, I doubt her opponents will mind too much J. Personally, I’m going to wait until she has had three or four more treatments before I challenge her. Once again, Mark and Lisa express their appreciation for the continued love, support, and prayers of so many friends.

· 20 April 03 – Lisa update - Jenny informed me yesterday that she was tired of reading the same old thing and I needed to update this website. So, here is the latest “Lisa news” as I know it. Overall, Lisa is hanging in there. She had a couple of bad days last week where she was tired and nauseous, but she got over that. She finally got something to help her sleep which is working so well that she hasn’t complained of Mark’s snoring for a couple of nights in a row J. She has also experienced a bit of “chemo brain” where she is a little forgetful – or perhaps that was just fatigue from lack of sleep. We’ll see. But in the meantime, if anyone is supposed to pick her up to take her anywhere, call her to remind her of the time-right, Lisa? The movement in Lisa’s left shoulder is improving quite a bit but she is still having a problem with a “winging scapula” (it sticks out farther than the other one) and her mean old physical therapist keeps giving her more exercises to do. What a dragon lady!! She can toss her tennis ball for serving and she was able to get out and do a little gardening this week on those beautiful days so that was a good thing. She still has hair but she says it isn’t behaving – more bad hair days. I suppose she is doing well with the shots as I haven’t heard her complain. But then she isn’t a complainer so that may not mean anything. All the kids and spouses were home for the Easter holiday and Lisa was waiting on them hand and foot (just kidding, Joanne). Lisa is in her glory when surrounded by her family and they are taking VERY good care of her. The next chemo treatment is this Wednesday, April 23. We’ll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, if anyone sees her doing anything with her right arm (other than eating –I’ll give her that) please remind her to use her left. Thanks.

· 13 April 03 – Lisa update – Sorry for the delay in posting this update but Tom and I have been out of town this week. We just came from seeing Mark and Lisa and Lisa is looking great! (Okay Mark, you’re looking pretty good too J.) As you know, Lisa had her first chemo treatment on Wednesday. It was a long day full of tests and of learning how to give herself shots to keep her white count up-in addition to the chemo itself. Lisa said she was pretty nervous but it went well. She was pretty tired on Thursday and more nauseated as the day went on. Friday was the same but by Friday evening the nausea had subsided. The nurse told her that there is a different medicine which may be better for preventing the nausea and that they will try that after the next round of chemo. She is doing well with the shots and was feeling good today, although she continues to have some difficulty sleeping at night. She said that she has been walking and doing her exercises. Today she and Mark washed the car and had even gotten out to hit some tennis balls. So far so good! Lisa showed me her new wig and it is pretty cute although it would be nice if she didn’t have to ever use it!! Please continue the prayers and wonderful messages. God bless you all for your love and support over the last few weeks. The next chemo will be on the 23^rd. We’ll continue to update the “Lisa status” on a regular basis.

· 2 April 03 – Lisa update – Lisa had a pretty successful day today. She and Mark stopped at the “We Care” wig store in Greenwood and found several that Lisa liked. So they ordered them all and Lisa can have her pick. On to the doctors - Dr. Goulet was pleased with Lisa’s progress. He told her to “get out, get moving, but not to mow the lawn for a while yet.” (Sorry, Mark) She can even get in the pool this summer. We had wondered if her chemo port would prevent that. So that was good news. He also put her in Stage 2B which is much better than the 3B they had diagnosed originally here in Madison. More good news!! As of now, Lisa’s first chemo treatment is scheduled for next Wednesday, April 9. She has to go for lots of tests and will be there most of the day. She also has to learn to give herself shots. Each day for ten days after each chemo treatment, she has to give herself a shot of medicine that is designed to keep her white blood cell count up. Lisa will have 7-8 chemo treatments, two weeks apart. A month after her last chemo treatment, she will begin radiation. She will have radiation each weekday for 6-7 weeks. After shopping and seeing two doctors, Mark and Lisa met Jenny and Erich for dinner and had a pleasant evening. I can tell she is feeling a lot better because even after this very busy day, Lisa sounded peppy and cheerful when I talked to her at 10:00 PM. Hopefully she’ll sleep well tonight. Thanks for all the great suggestions Lisa has received for places to look for wigs! And thank all of you who continue to show Mark and Lisa and their family your love and support every day and for all the many, many prayers being said on Lisa’s behalf. You have all made a difficult situation much easier to get through!

· 31 Mar 03 – Lisa update – Lisa, Mary Pat Ricketts, and I (Sharon) made a quick trip to Indy today. The drain had really been bothering Lisa and keeping her from sleeping so she called the doctor’s office to ask if they could take it out. The nurse called back at about 10:15 AM and said if she could be there by 1:00 PM they would remove it. So with a few minutes notice (Lisa said she hadn’t moved that fast in quite a while) we were in the car and on the way. We made it in plenty of time with Mario VandeWater at the wheel! Lisa said it was very painful, the worst thing yet, but she did get the awful thing out. And then we got to go out to lunch to make the whole trip worthwhile and stopped at Columbus for a VERY short shopping expedition. Lisa headed for the pain pills, the heating pad, and the couch for a nap when we got home. It was a good day, a beautiful sunny day to be out, but very tiring for Lisa also. She will return to see Dr. Goulet, the surgeon, and Dr. Miller, the oncologist on Wednesday. She should find out then when the chemo will start. Mary Pat and I talked to a few of the other patients in the waiting room while Lisa was in with the doctor and one lady made a very strong recommendation for a wig place in Greenwood. It was closed today but Mark and Lisa might be able to check it out on Wednesday. Overall, Lisa is doing pretty well. She just needs to build up her shopping stamina a bit J!

· 27 Mar 03 - Lisa update- I saw Lisa this afternoon and she seems to be feeling pretty well although as before, the drains are making her uncomfortable. They are “annoying” as Lisa put it. She is moving her left arm much better though so we’ll be working on that tennis toss in no time. I misunderstood what Mark told me about the numbness Lisa might experience. The numbness was expected in the chest area and not in the left arm, but Lisa says that even now she can “feel everything” so it may not be a problem anywhere. The success of the surgery may be in part due to the suturing talents of a local boy, Kyle Yancey, who is a third year med student at IU. Kyle had asked to be present at the surgery before he knew that the patient was someone he knew. He asked Lisa if she minded if he attended and she assured him it was ok. As she told Kyle, “If you’ve seen one boob, you’ve seen them all.” (She obviously hasn’t seen Pamela Anderson lately J.) Kyle actually got to put in a few of the sutures during the surgery so I’m sure Lisa will heal well. Mark seems to be doing a good job of taking care of Lisa and waiting on her hand and foot. He had straightened up the house and had the laundry pretty well under control when we were there. What a man!! Lisa will return to the doctor next week to have the “dreaded drains” removed and hopefully chemo will start soon after. Lisa will probably be losing her hair within a couple of weeks after starting chemo so if anyone has any insight on finding a realistic wig, you might let her know. Thanks once more for all the love, prayers, cards, and e-mails. The Cheathams are blessed with wonderful family and many good friends.

· 26 Mar 03 – Lisa arrived home today around 3:30. She sounded good and said she was not hurting too much thanks to the morphine. She said she wasn’t as sick from the anesthetic this time and although she wasn’t able to eat much last night, she was feeling well enough today to stop and eat on the way home. So, one big hurdle completed and now time to rest and recuperate and get ready to start the chemo!

· 25 Mar 03 - 1:30 PM – Lisa went into surgery today at about 11:30 AM. Mark just called and said that she was out of surgery and the doctor reported “everything went fine”. Lisa was still in recovery and Mark had not seen her yet when he called. The doctor also said that Lisa would probably not be quite as sore after this surgery as after the last one because they cut more nerves with the mastectomy. However, she may not get total feeling back in that arm for eighteen months. During the surgery, the doctor also inserted the central line that is needed for the chemotherapy. If Lisa heals as expected, the chemo will begin in about two weeks. Lisa told us last night after the good news about the Ct and X-ray results that she is “ready to fight” and to get on with the chemo! Mark and Lisa and their family continue to be extremely grateful for the many, many prayers and good wishes offered by so many people. The prayers are obviously being heard with the good news that was received this week. Lisa is really enjoying the many e-mails so keep them coming! We will continue to post updates on Lisa’s progress throughout the treatment process.

· 24 Mar 03 – GREAT NEWS!! Lisa received the results from her CT scan and X-rays today and they were all negative for spread of the cancer!! This means that the surgery will proceed as scheduled for tomorrow. However, the time has been changed to 10:00 AM so we will post news from the surgery as soon as Mark calls.

· 22 Mar 03 - Lisa completed all of her testing on Friday March 21. She did fine with the testing but the results will not be available until Tuesday. Lisa’s surgery has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 25, at 12:00 noon at the IU Med Center. She expects to be home on Wednesday but could possibly have to stay until Thursday. We will post an update as soon as Mark lets us know how Lisa is doing after the surgery. Mark and Lisa appreciate the many continued prayers and words of support from so many friends and family.

· 17 Mar 03 – 5:30 PM – Lisa is home from her visit to the oncologist. She had her drain removed and is feeling much more comfortable. The pathology report was not as positive as we had hoped. There was involvement of 18 of 36 nodes tested and the margins of the tissue removed in the lumpectomy were not cancer free. Therefore, Lisa will be having a mastectomy on Tuesday, March 25. The time of the surgery has not yet been set. The surgery will be followed by chemotherapy and then radiation. If Lisa heals as expected after the surgery, chemo will begin two weeks following the surgery and she will have it every two weeks after that for a total of eight doses. The oncologist said that long term studies have shown that chemo given every two weeks rather than every three is more effective. For any of you drug experts out there, she will be given 4 doses of Adriamycin and Cytoxan followed by four doses of Taxol. The chemo will be followed by 5-6 weeks of radiation. Some good news is that Lisa will be able to take Tamoxifen after the chemo and radiation. Tamoxifen has been shown effective in helping to prevent the recurrence of cancer. Lisa also qualifies to participate in one (maybe two) clinical trials. This week Lisa will be undergoing some tests here in town that will include a CT Scan of the chest and abdomen to look for any signs of spread of the disease. We will pray that these are negative! Lisa, being the Lisa we all know and love, is hanging in there and dwelling on the positive. She is happy to finally know what she is up against and to have a plan to fight it. She continues to enjoy all the loving and supportive e-mails she has been receiving and is very appreciative of the many thoughts and prayers being offered for her and her family. Keep praying!

· 14 Mar 03 – 4:00 PM – Lisa spoke to the oncologist this afternoon but she was not given the pathology report. She will meet with the doctor on Monday morning at 9:00 AM to get the results and to find out the plans for treatment. Lisa is, as I’m sure you all are, very frustrated with MORE WAITING and the emotional roller coaster that involves!! Hopefully, it will all be settled on Monday. She is enjoying the e-mails so keep them coming and give her something else to think about this weekend.

· 13 Mar 03 – 8:20 – Lisa did not hear from the doctor today. Hopefully, they will get some word tomorrow. Lisa is feeling okay. She is having some pain in her arm and back, but the pain medication is helping. We will post the pathology reports as soon as we hear something.

· 12 Mar 03 – 1:00 PM – Lisa is home and doing well. She says that the pain medication is allowing her to rest comfortably so she is napping and reading today while Mark is back to work. She said she is really enjoying reading the e-mails people are sending so keep them coming! Lisa sounded peppy and in good spirits as usual. She said her surgeon was wonderful and was very careful not to cut any nerves that might hurt her tennis game!! (Sorry girls, she is going to KEEP beating us all J.) We were able to discuss a little more the surgeon’s findings during the surgery. The doctor believes that from the large size of the tumor, it has been growing for 8-10 years. There is no explanation for why this was not picked up by the many mammograms that she has had during that time. (Scary!) Given this long time frame, Lisa said that they did extensive examination of her other breast and are sure that it is cancer free. Again, her bone scan was negative for cancer and blood work looked good. (My personal explanation for this is that excessive chocolate deters the spread of cancer J.) Lisa also explained that the determining factor for a follow-up mastectomy is whether or not the margins removed around the tumor are cancer free. If they are, no mastectomy!! The number of lymph nodes involved, if any, will determine the kinds of medication and dosage given during the chemotherapy. So, now we are just waiting for the pathology report. This should be available on Thursday. We’ll let you know the results and treatment plan as soon as possible.

· 11 Mar 03 – 3:40 PM – Just spoke to Mark from IU Med Center where they are awaiting discharge. They have seen the doctor and Mark reports his main comment upon examining Lisa was, “Yeah, I did a good job, didn’t I?” J The doctor has told them they can leave but they are waiting for him to sign the discharge papers. This may not happen until after supper. However, they WILL be home tonight. Lisa is having some discomfort from a drain in her back, but is feeling okay otherwise. The pathology reports will not be available until Thursday so they will know more at that time about node involvement and follow-up treatment. I told Mark to be sure to look at all the e-mails on the website when they get home. Thanks to all of you who have sent words of support and encouragement. They are greatly appreciated.

· 10 Mar 03 – Lisa did not get into surgery until around 7:00 PM. Mark called at 9:30 and reported that Lisa was out of surgery. He had not seen her yet at that point but the Dr. said she did well with minimal blood loss. Dr. Goulet performed a lumpectomy and will examine the margins of tissue to make sure they are clear. It appears that there is some lymph node involvement, but they will not know for sure for a few days. Lisa will be home tomorrow. Tom asked Mark about bringing food over and Mark requested that we not do that for now. We will post more when we get more details. Keep praying!!

· 10 Mar 03 - Lisa will undergo surgery at the IU Med Center at approximately 5:00 P.M. She will be in the hospital overnight and will return home on Tuesday. Dates for the follow-up mastectomy if needed and the beginning of chemotherapy are not yet decided.

· 05 Mar 03 - Lisa sees breast cancer specialist Dr. Robert Goulet (no kidding!) at IU Med Center. He recommends lumpectomy. At the same time lymph nodes will be examined for cancer. If there is no involvement of lymph nodes, Lisa will begin chemotherapy. If there is involvement, Lisa will undergo a mastectomy and the chemotherapy will follow. Lumpectomy and mastectomy will NOT be performed during the same surgery. Chemo will be given once every three weeks for 24 weeks. Radiation, if needed, will follow chemotherapy.

· 03 Mar 03 - Good news! Bone Scan is negative for spread of cancer to bones

· 28 Feb 03 - Biopsy confirmed that Lisa has breast cancer