Honor MS. DOMINI & shine light on her beloved kids

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With a very heavy heart I write to you to let you know our fundraising goals have shifted, please see the update below.

Today, Lisa was called home by her Creator. While Lisa's cancer took her from us entirely too soon, her legacy lives on in her family, friends, and students both young and old. Truly any of us lucky enough to have been on the receiving end of one of her contagious smiles came out for the better. A mother, daughter, sister, sorority sister, friend, teacher, and colleague, she was one of the very best and she will be missed by so many.

While she accomplished so much in her life, her young adult children were her pride and joy and could use our support. Along my journey in supporting Lisa's cancer diagnosis & treatment, this feels like my biggest request, that of shedding continual love, light and support on her 3 children as they navigate life without their greatest support system. Navigating their mother's medical bills, funeral arrangements, life, and education bills is a lot to handle. This GoFundMe will now support her children, who are transitioning into adulthood during this time of great loss.

Early on in her illness, Lisa had a vivid dream about her dad, who died during the pandemic. He came to her and said that he missed her too much and needed her to be with him. A self-described daddy’s girl, her family takes solace in knowing that her pain is gone and that she is in the arms of her heavenly and earthly Fathers today. Something I hope we can all take comfort in during a day filled with great sadness.

Lisa felt your love and light every day of her journey with this terrible disease. Thank you for all you have offered to her and her family – meals, financial support, thoughtful memories, words of support and especially prayers. Each has been meaningful and important.

Lisa leaves a legacy that is deep and wide including three beautiful children, new teachers in our state, and hundreds of children whose hands she held and whose minds she captured.

Funeral arrangements and forthcoming University of Arizona scholarship details will be shared in time via the Caringbridge page.

"God saw you getting tired,

And a cure was not to be;

So he put his arms around you,

And whispered, "Come to me".

With tearful eyes we watched you,

Although we loved you dearly,

We could not make you stay.

A golden heart stopped beating,

Hard working hands to rest.

God broke our hearts to prove to us,

He only takes the best."

Until we meet again, Lisa.

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Hi, my name is Ashley Blalock, and on behalf of our fantastic parent community at Hopi Elementary School, I am fundraising for our beloved Kindergarten teacher, Ms. Lisa Domini! To know Lisa is quite simply to love her. She has the most positively contagious and uplifting energy, and all of those young & old who come in contact with her are better for it. In 30 years, she has taught over 750 young students in the Valley, including my son and daughter. Kindergarten teachers have one of the most important and life-changing jobs, as they help our babies become independent, confident learners in ways that we, as parents, could not.

In mid-September 2022, Lisa went to her doctor because she had sudden stomach pain and nausea. The next day her symptoms worsened, and she noticed her eyes were yellowing, so she went to the Emergency Department. They did a CT scan and identified a mass in her liver and gallbladder. Further testing identified that she has bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma). This is a rare and severe condition, with only about 8,000 cases identified in the U.S. annually. Lisa has chosen her care team at the prestigious Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, AZ, consisting of top-ranked oncologists and palliative care specialists. She is still waiting for her treatment plan due to a few hospitalizations and infections that have set her treatment back. Lisa is willing and ready to kick cancer's b*tt (remember... she's a Kindergarten teacher) at a moment's notice. She has much to live for and so much love and learning to keep spreading.

Today she is a master’s prepared Kindergarten teacher at Hopi Elementary in Scottsdale. She is a single mom to three accomplished college students, Ally, Andrew and Nicholas. At night she teaches online classes at the University level, helping to educate new teachers-in-the-making in this time of great need.

Amid a busy and full life, no one expects a cancer diagnosis. And then, there it is. Never fair and never well-timed. Thank you for visiting this site and for supporting Lisa and her family. All funds raised will go directly to Lisa and her three children in college to help alleviate the expenses of everyday life as she is on a medical leave of absence and months away from losing her benefits. Please help us ease the costs of daily life and those that arise from a critical health diagnosis that Lisa has received.

#TEAMDOMINI #DOMINISTRONG #LIGHT&LOVEFORMSDOMINI