Meet Our Moms

Brandis father, 3 aunts, uncle, 2 cousins and both grandparents all died of lung and breast cancer. Pediatricians warned her and her brother to start checking at the age of 30 for signs of cancer. 6 months after Brandi turned 30 we discovered she had breast cancer, Stage 2b. True to her nature, she hit it headstrong. She was so very sick yet she was inspirational to so many people. After complete mastectomy and hysterectomy, doctors said she was in remission, and Brandi began to regain some normalcy in life.

Brandi started having migraine, and once when driving her 13 yr and 9 yr old and 2 yr old niece she came to a stop. She began having seizures and could not change gears to park or talk. Doctors discovered she had stage 4 breast metastatic brain cancer. She had the gamma knife radiation which shrunk the tumor by 50%, making life at least manageable for this condition. Now she has found another lump and will continue to receive routine catscans every 8 weeks for the rest of her life.

Brandi’s wish is to go to Disney World with her family. They went as a family in November 2015.

Rachel is a single mom who in the beginning of 2013 was diagnosed with stage IV Inflammatory Breast Cancer. Since the very beginning she knew the only way to battle this dreadful disease was unwavering positivity and living every moment to its fullest with her amazing children, Maggie (8) and Connor (5). Rachel was diagnosed in March of 2013 when she started chemo followed by a mastectomy, radiation and then was placed on a treatment plan of tamoxifen. The cancer was at bay for about 8 months, until it retuned and metastasized spreading to her lungs and lymph nodes in October of 2014. She was then put on a trial hormonal drug for about another 8 months before the cancer then spread again to her bones and additional lymph nodes this past August. A few weeks later we learned the cancer has yet grown again and has moved into the fluid in her pericardium around her heart. She has started chemo therapy again and was told last week that her prognosis was now 6 months.

Her wish is to to take her kids camping in the Grand Canyon. They will fly into Vegas and see the Mystere show. Then they will rent an RV to spend a few days at the Grand Canyon. Rachel will also get to take her kids on a helicopter ride over the canyon.

Ashleigh is married and mother to two boys, Noah (age 2) and David (11 months). She is highly educated and went to school at Georgia Tech for undergrad and MIT for graduate school. She was first diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer when she was 34 weeks pregnant. She then began chemotherapy in the midst of completing her pregnancy.  She was immediately started on chemotherapy pregnant and delivered at 37 weeks. Her disease then progressed to stage IV and was only given weeks to months to live.

Ashleigh’s wish was to have a “Life Gala” called WISH GRANTED. HOPE LIVES. The event was held Thursday, August 13, 2015

You can read more about her story on http://myjourneywithibc.blogspot.com

November 23, 1984–July 19, 2015

Sarah Landis lives in Blaine, MN with her 3 daughters Natalie (14), Larissa (10), Olivia (4), and her husband Mark (8 maybe…)  For the most part Sarah spends the day doing various things with her daughters or Mark. She enjoys a good thrift store, selling great finds on Amazon. (we find creative ways to pay for all things cancer. The struggle is expensive.)  Sarah works at Children’s hospital and clinics in the medical warehouse to keep great insurance. Her husband Mark runs a small taxi company which allows plenty of time for him to take care of Sarah.

Sarah was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in Sept 2009.  Having severe back pain, Sarah made 5 doctor visits over 8 months, each time being told the pain was due to overweight (a little), her clothes were too tight (not even close), or that she had lifted her 4-year-old wrong. On the last visit she forced the issue to order an MRI. The results showed tumors in every visible bone scanned. Over the past 5 years Sarah underwent many treatments to temporarily control the disease, but eventually each failed to conquer the growth of various tumors, and cancer has now spread to her liver and lungs.

Sarah’s wish was to visit Hawaii and she and her family visited Oahu in March of 2015.

February 24, 1981–July 13, 2015

Michelle and Kevin Weaver are blessed with 3 beautiful children, Olivia, Noah, and Emmanuel (Manny).  They are Christ followers and have devoted their lives to loving others and pursuing the Lord. Kevin is a writer. Michelle has homeschooled the kids with Coram Deo Academy for 8+ years. Michelle is strong in her faith and is a selfless warrior for her husband and children.

In 2012, Michelle was diagnosed with Cervical cancer. She underwent a hysterectomy, chemotherapy, and lots of natural healing and received a clean scan in 2013. Three months later, Michelle entered hospital with terrible back pain and more cancer was found. She again faced strong chemotherapy which proved unsuccessful and Michelle was informed that there were no treatments to combat the level of cancer in her body.  Michelle lives in a constant state of trying to manage unbearable back pain.

Michelle was blessed to have been a part of Young Life when she was younger. Her wish is to experience a Young Life Family Camp with her kids and husband at Trail West in Colorado. Michelle says, “going to camp is giving me something to live for.”

1972–January 29, 2016

Loretta was a wife and mom of 2 beautiful children, a daughter that is special needs and wheelchair bound, and an older son. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in 2012, she received many treatments though none were successful.

Loretta’s Wish was to have their older special needs van fixed up to be safe and in good working condition for her precious family. Ally’s Wish has partnered with Jennings Ford in Boerne and they have graciously helped grant Loretta’s Wish.

10/16/1974 – 11/12/2014

Lynn and her husband Tony have 3 boys: Carter (13) Josh (11) and Zack (10). Lynn is very focused on her family and spiritual life. Lynn is one that will always think of others before she thinks about herself. Lynn was diagnosed with adrenal cortical cancer in June 2007. She has been through 24 procedures including Open Surgery, Cryoblation, Radiation and Chemotherapy. Lynn has taken a stand to have a quality of life and not quantity at this time. Due to the amount of procedures and recovery time, the family budget does not exist for a lot of fun things to do.
In October, Ally’s Wish granted Lynn’s wish to spend a few days in Hawaii enjoying the beauty of creation. She and her husband spent the week making sweet memories on the island.

September 3,1976 – September 22, 2015

Terran is the wife of an Air Force Officer, mother of two boys (Austin, 16 and Ethan, 14) and a labor and delivery nurse.  Prior to her second diagnosis with breast cancer in Mar 2013, she loved nothing more than delivering babies.  She is the center of any room, a spirit that can’t be broken and a fighter like many have never seen.

At 26, with 4- and 2-year old children, Terran was diagnosed with breast cancer.  She aggressively fought this first meeting with the enemy, undergoing a bilateral mastectomy,  3 months of chemotherapy and an oral estrogen blocker (Tamoxifen) for 8 years post chemotherapy.  In February 2013, about 3 years after stopping her Tamoxifen, she noticed pain in her liver.  CT and liver tests confirmed Terran had breast cancer again with metastasis to her liver. Doctors gave her a life expectancy of 18 to 24 months.  Being the fighter she is, she aggressively attacked again with weekly regiments of abraxane. By April 2013 Terran was down to 98 pounds, so the decision was made to stop the abraxane and start zeloda.  Terran gradually gained her weight and strength back and her tumor markers continued to decline. In November 2013 she began to feel pain in her back and pelvis, and it was confirmed her cancer had now moved to her bones. It will only be a matter of time before she has to switch to chemotherapy again.  Her family now concentrates on making as many memories as a family as they can.

Terran has always wanted to swim with dolphins. Her wish is to take a family trip to Hawaii so she can swim with dolphins, partake in a luau and take in the beauty of the islands.

October 6, 1975–September 28, 2015

Karisa is 36 years old. Karisa and her husband Kelly have been married 14 years and have 4 children: Dalton (12), Ariana (9), and twins Deanna and Dakota (7). The Daniel family was on the mission field in Costa Rica for almost 3 years, during which three of their children were born. They moved back to the States due to their son’s illness (Cystic Fibrosis), and then moved to Texas in June of 2009. Kelly is the Assistant Pastor at the Spanish church they attend. Karisa homeschooled her children until 2013, and is a stay-at-home mom.

Karisa was diagnosed with ALL Leukemia after battling with pneumonia and bronchitis for 2 months. She has gone through more than 5 rounds of chemotherapy,  of which the last round was to prepare for a bone marrow transplant. Due to infection, the transplant was cancelled. Karisa now enjoys spending precious time with her family.

Karisa’s wish was to travel to Indiana to visit her hometown, parents, and brother. She enjoyed this trip in July of 2014, followed by a trip to Disney World, a wish granted to her son by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

December 17, 1977- August 13, 2014

Kenon Neal and her husband Matt adopted each of their precious children, Tanner (18), Luke (14) and Aliza Grace (11) when they were infants. Kenon enjoyed homeschooling each of her boys to accommodate their special learning needs. Kenon began the Kids Cancer Network, an outreach to children with cancer, which published  The Funletter, an activities magazine mailed out to 6,000 locations around the world with the purpose of connecting with these lonely kids. Kenon also was instrumental in writing grants for scholarships and programs at Westmont College.

Kenon faced cancer 5 times since the age of 21. She had Hodgkin’s while attending Westmont in Santa Barbara, CA, and received a bone marrow transplant three years into her marriage. She suffered premature menopause at age 26.  At 40 she was diagnosed with breast cancer caused by the radiation for Hodgkin’s. She endured more treatment, a mastectomy and chemotherapy. Six years later, in 2012, she received news of stage 4 esophageal cancer. Through heavy treatments of chemo, targeted radiation, ablation to the liver, kidney, brain and stomach, Kenon held tightly to her love for God and trusted Jesus for each day He gave her.

Dec. 8, 1965–July 16, 2014

September 13,1969 – August 29, 2014

Angie Harrison often feels as if she is living in a nightmare. In 2009 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Following doctors’ orders, she underwent two surgeries and 17 rounds of chemo. Assurance that she was in remission, Angie began once again enjoying life. She began running and training for a 10K—a survivor—and acknowledged that God was her healer. She was determined to not let cancer win. However, in November of 2013 she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Triple Negative Breast Cancer that had reappeared in her lungs. So the decision was made to embrace quality—not quantity—of life and allow God to be the ultimate healer. But until then, she knows the care and concern of a few people really can make a difference in the middle of endless hopelessness. A friend nominated her to be a recipient of Ally’s Wish.

Angie comments on anticipating her Wish: “I get to go with my husband and our 3 children to Disney World. We can go—together. I cannot say thank you enough. I look most forward to seeing the face of my 8-year-old light up as she gets to see and do things she’s only dreamed of… and my older kids as they escape some of the reality that’s too much for any of us to have to face. Last, but not least, I look forward to some quiet moments with my husband and the father of my children.”

Angie Harrison – Disneyworld