Help Lesia Fight Breast Cancer

Lesia was born with the gift of having the heart of a servant, and has lived her life using that gift each day. She is a single mom with three bio children and has additionally adopted five children. She is a proud and active grandma of eleven grandchildren. She plays an active part and serves on the board for the Wolfpack clubhouse, and assists them with grant writing. She leads parenting groups and teaches the “Nurturing Heart Approach of Parenting” to both community members as well as members of Wolfpack Clubhouse. Lesia teaches Human trafficking classes through her foster care agency and always volunteers to do all of the special projects/events. She takes and active role in recruiting Foster Parents in our community and certifies them to take placement of abused and neglected children in the hopes of building a stronger tomorrow for youth in our community. Lesia was a foster parent for many years and helped numerous babies, toddlers and teenagers while they were in her care. She is the person that everyone goes to for help and can always be counted on. She rallies behind those who need support and helps them in any way that she can. She has taken active roles in the community for our children by coaching soccer and basketball for many youth. Her heart is passionate about many things and has many selfless expressions. Most recently collected backpacks and summer supplies for children in need in the community. Her heart is not only passionate about humans, she helped rescue and train wild mustangs from auctions and found forever homes for them. She has continued this love through many years of her life, and still helps to the best of her abilities now.

On May 11, 2022 the heart wrenching call that would change her life happened, Lesia was told that she had Breast Cancer and would need to seek treatment immediately. The news was not good and she was devastated. She would learn that she had six lymph nodes that have been compromised throughout her armpit as well as her breast that were being fed by the estrogen and progesterone produced in her body. Lesia was told that she would have to be seen in Stanford in Palo Alto the following week for immediate testing and assessment. She began her journey and thus far she has had over twenty appointments in Stanford and the drives are four to five hours each way. She makes the commute to receive the care that is needed to best help her body during this time of need.

On May 20th ,2022 Lesia will have her port placed to start chemotherapy, which will include a drive to Stanford in Palo Alto every two weeks. The treatments are unknown what response her body will have and will leave her body weak and immune compromised. Her chemo will last about four months. Chemo will hopefully help decrease the chance of the cancer spreading in her body or to both breasts. There is a concern of her developing lymphedema in her right arm as currently that is the arm and side of her body that has the significant pain and masses.

After chemotherapy Lesia will have her mastectomy and then will do radiation and possibly more chemotherapy in hopes to remove all the cancer in her breasts and to keep it from coming back. The total treatment timeline for all of these will be approximately one year. Additionally Lesia will spend the next five years on hormone medication to decrease the likelihood of the cancer returning with various routine checkups and testing to ensure that everything is where it needs to be.

The need for financial help is urgent. The cost of gas is adding quickly, and Stanford hospital where she receives treatment is over two hundred miles away from her home. After each chemotherapy treatment, she will need a motel. Chemo can cause extreme nausea and weakness and there is concern of her driving home if she is unwell or needs additional support from her medical team. The motel costs have been astronomical and a financial burden thus far and are only just beginning. During trips to the medical facility where Lesia receives her treatment there are additional expenses that are adding quickly in addition to the fuel to get there and the medical treatment itself. The medical bills are adding , and her last treatment was over $100,000 dollars, even with insurance; she is responsible to pay a portion of each of these bills that is growing higher and higher with each treatment.

Lesia is in constant pain and is feeling weak and tired, even simple tasks such as cooking and cleaning have been difficult. Sometimes walking to the bathroom can take a toll on her already exhausted body. We are asking for you to financially contribute to this deserving woman so that we can help remove one more barrier that she is up against. This is a woman who has relentlessly given back to her family, her community and every person in need. Now she is the one who is in need, and needs our help. The monies collected will help with gas, motels, food and medical bills that she will and has begun to incur during this trying time of uncertainty in her life. We ask that you help and support Leisa, who is all of these things and so much more to so many. She is a mom, sister, friend, daughter and pivotal member in our community.