Lisa’s courageous battle against end stage Glioblastoma

April 16, 2025 written by our Katherine:

This morning when I was driving to work I looked at the sun rays poking down from the gaps through the clouds and told myself “it’s a beautiful day to go to heaven”. My gut was telling me today was the day, so I stopped my drive for a second to take a photo of it. Then I continued on, slightly distracted still looking at the sky, letting peace and grief join me in the car for the rest of the drive.

Lisa passed away at 11:52AM. Stephanie called me at 12:05PM. I got to the hospital at 12:20PM.

I thought I was okay- we were supposed to be ready for this. We knew her days dwindled on palliative, we were preparing for this moment. But then the moment came and all we could do was tell ourselves “so this is it”. No matter how much you want to rehearse the moment, losing someone you love can never truly be prepared for.

Lisa’s journey with glioblastoma has been public. Lisa was one of the best people who got dealt the shittiest hands of cards. At only 43 she was taken from us, yet reassured us before passing, “god told me I’m the special one”.

You need to be the most special human to have a life cut so short that you need to miss as many opportunities Lisa will now miss earth side. And maybe that’s why her journey with glioblastoma has followed public updates, and maybe why her reasons to live will continue to be screamed from the rooftop. Because Lisa wasn’t done living life and we never want to believe it.

So here’s to life. Driving a little slower to soak in one more minute of the sunrise. Eating chicken wings at every opportunity given. Taking the picture to preserve what made us happy in that moment. Putting on your comfort song when life is feeling more than unfair. Believing in your passions no matter what other people think. Treating people with the utmost kindness. Loving hard and loving often. Recognizing one day, these little moments could be what holds your memory the strongest.

And here’s to loved ones. Rob, waking up every day missing a better, irreplaceable part of him. Jayden, navigating all the next milestones knowing his mom has a different front row view. Lisa’s Taiwan family, knowing the girl they grew up with isn’t coming home. Lisa’s Canadian family, having her missed at every family gathering. And to anyone that knew her, aching a little bit more today knowing this earth lost a really good woman.

Life will never be the same and we’re not going to ask it to be. The space Lisa has filled can lay empty, because to us, we’re always going to want her in our space with us. Man are we lucky to have loved someone that makes loss hurt this much.

March 27 update: Lisa continues to be so positive despite her loss of vision, hearing issues, lack of mobility and extreme exhaustion. We watch this woman and family persevere every day, fighting the fight of their lives and I am so very proud of all of them! Lisa has finished 1/3 of her radiation treatments and continues on her chemo pills daily. We are so blessed to have this extra time with her but we miss our old Lisa full of laughter, life and just “her”. Your donations are so valuable and we appreciate all of the support given, thank you.

March 21 update: Today is Lisa’s 43 birthday! She has been given this gift of being here for her special day; however, tough week with ambulance trip to emerg due to severe symptoms but she is back home with her two special guys. Today is her 8th radiation and chemo day but her quality of life continues to be challenged with her loss of vision and now hearing, her mobility is very poor. Lisa is a true warrior with fighting to live every single day! We celebrate Lisa today and everyday, we love her so much!

March 9 update: incredible how quickly things progress and not in a good way. Lisa has significant loss of vision, mobility, sound sensitivity, fine motor skills, personality changes, this is absolutely heart breaking for Rob and Jayden to experience but most importantly for Lisa to endure. Rob fought hard to get her chemo started, we fight for everything these days to help our Lisa get the medical support she needs but it is exhausting :( Imagine getting this news as they did, this just happened at the end of January and had Rob not fought for her health issues to be taken seriously that night at emerg. Lisa would have died! We just appreciate your support so very much! Please keep sharing this post if you are able. Continued gratitude for all who have donated to the Go Fund Me, and expressed well wishes and prayer for Lisa, Rob and Jayden.

Feb 2025: Lisa came out from surgery Monday afternoon. Surgery was not met with complications- Lisa talks, walks, and does everything as she normally did before surgery.

Unfortunately, surgery confirmed the worst. Lisa is at the final stages of Glioblastoma Brain Cancer- the most aggressive form of brain cancer, and incurable. The cancer has spread much more than the CT or MRI could originally see. Lisa will be taking the next steps towards chemotherapy and radiation, which will extend her life for another hopeful 6-9 months.

At this time, Lisa, Rob and Jayden are needing to process the shocking and heartbreaking news they have received. Please continue to respect the families need for privacy and patience as they soak in their continued moments together.

Lisa continues to fight this with the utmost strength and dignity- she is truly the most resilient human we know. Rob and Jayden’s unwavering love and devotion have been admirable, despite enduring the most life altering news. This family is determined to remain strong, keep Lisa comfortable, and not take for granted a single moment with one another.

As Rob’s sister, I am advocating for continued support with the Go Fund Me. These funds not only allow Rob to take the necessary time off work to be with his wife and son, but also supports the family moving forward with end of life goals, care and treatment. Money should be the last worry in times like this, and the support we have received so far has been beyond heartwarming. Thank you all.

UPDATE: Please keep Lisa in your prayers. She will undergo surgery Monday morning, the neurosurgeon will try to debulk one of the masses, unfortunately he is unable to remove all. Please pray. We will update as we can. We cannot thank everyone enough for their support at this time!

Hi everyone. My name is Holly, and I am starting this fundraiser for my brother and sister in-law. My sister in-law is 42 years old, an amazing mother to their 13 year old son Jayden, wife, sister, friend and colleague. After being sick and misdiagnosed 3 times in the last week, going to multiple urgent care/doctor centres, Lisa was in critical condition, taken back to the hospital by her husband Rob who demanded further investigation, and upon a CT scan at the General Hospital, a large mass in the brain with significant swelling was found. Immediate action was taken for the swelling, and further tests were started. Without sharing alot at this time, on Monday February 3, Lisa’s MRI results have revealed a large and deep brain tumour with multiple lesions, and she continues to be hospitalized with surgery as an immediate must and first step, which makes her future very unknown. Both Lisa and Rob are unable to work at this time due to the severity of the situation as well as the complete shock and devastation of this diagnosis. No one could have ever prepared our family for this kind of news, knowing Lisa is young, has been relatively healthy (and prides herself in her self care), loves working as a Pre-K teacher assistant, and is always the most kind-hearted, humorous and optimistic friend and family member. If there is a family that has ever deserved community support like a Go Fund Me, especially in times like this, it is the Allison family. We are hoping for any donation, large or small to help Rob, Lisa and Jayden worry only about being with each other, taking care of one another, and seek the best treatment options.

I will continue to post updates as they become available. Privacy for Rob, Lisa and Jayden is to be respected at this time as conditions, tests and accompanying stress continues to unfold. Lisa is determined to fight this with courage, strength, and trust in the incredible neuro teams that have been on her case since finding the tumor. Immense love and thank you in advance to anyone who considers donating at this time.