Story Assignments for school
Introduction
I asked Lisa for her testimony about big things and small things as I had been gone when she gave her testimony to the ward. Luckily, she wrote a letter with the story in it.
Lisa opens the door with her left-hand steps back a bit and with a smile says, “Come in!” A beckoning swoop with her left arm while the door comes to rest on her right arm without hitting the wall. She gives out quick one-armed hugs liberally to guests. Lisa has short brown hair in a simple cut, is flat chested and has a warm smile. Her kitchen is attached to a step-down living room with comfortable chairs, built in bookshelves and an office area. Lisa’s daughter Kylie is sitting at the kitchen table doing homework. Lisa pulls out an apron, flips it over her head and anchors one tie with her teeth while her left hand makes a little slip knot through it with the other tie. Her right arm hangs at her side in an elastic type sleeve that looks like a stuffed doll’s. She slides her left wrist into a watch on the counter and rolls it to fasten the clasp.
Checking with Kylie about her homework, she pulls ingredients one by one out of the fridge and cupboard to make supper. When the doorbell rings Lisa opens the door to a neighbor down the street, Barbra Bragg. A petite lady with a cap of white hair and fine wrinkles on her freckled face she gets a warm greeting and a hug with instructions to, “sit in this chair and just observe.” The conversation jumps from how Lisa’s mother used to always cook the same vegetables when she was a teenager to Suriname and Jamaica where she lived as a child and ate lots of fruit.
Lisa is asked if she makes supper’s like this all the time. “No,” she answers, “last night we just had soup.” She described “the call” yesterday from the hospital. She had gone in for a PET scan_the day before and had gotten “the call” that she needed to see her doctor. The angst and stress of what the call would be about caused her to be so tired she went to sleep early so they only had soup last night for supper. She described the roller coaster of emotion that she experiences frequently in her life. But when she woke up this morning she gave herself a pep-talk. She knew this was going to happen as her tumor markers_were going up.
She was right it was not a death pronouncement from her doctor just another change in medication as the latest one is not as effective. She shares a joke when her doctor said, “Looking over your PET scan results I couldn’t find any evidence of a brain…….oops that wasn’t what I meant…..” Lisa laughs and says, “Every once in awhile I do have evidence I have a brain”. Her oncologist, Dr. Chunnam Leu proposed a new drug and Ralph, Lisa’s husband will research it out as he does for all her medications.
Lisa talks about her work at the school as a substitute teacher and also as a clerical worker. ”How can you be a secretary if you couldn’t type?” Kylie laughs and said, “she is pretty good”. Lisa went over to the computer and booted up a letter to her missionary son, and showed how she could quickly type with all five fingers of her left hand faster than others use their thumbs on phones. A paragraph appeared quickly. She said she makes more mistakes than she used to and goes back to edit a lot.
She estimates it took her arm about four or more years to completely stop working. She had a brace for quite a while that allowed her to use her fingers to play the piano in kindergarten, but when that broke she didn’t bother getting a new one as her fingers don’t work at all now. She named her brace George, her prosthetic Betty, her wig Harry. Kylie goes to her room to do her homework as it’s too noisy. Barbara and Lisa talk about Elder Scott’s funeral yesterday along with the fact he could speak two languages and would translate his own talks and record them before General Conference. Lisa lays strawberries on their side slicing off the top and then cutting them in two, rinses them in the colander being careful to save the water in a little bucket in the sink. Her husband Ralph Lambert comes home with a backpack and gave her a hug and a quick kiss before going back to Kylie’s bedroom to say hi.
Lisa puts steaming salmon, fruit salad, wild rice, hot roasted vegetables, spring salad with pecans, cranberries and mandarin oranges, on the table. Her actions are so smooth and natural one handed, it is hard to remember she is daily fighting one of the most aggressive types of breast cancer there is.
February 5, 2014
Dear Amy, Kristy and Eric:
It has been an interesting few days. Two Sundays ago I started rehearsing a song with the YW for performance in March. I practice with them between SS and YW for about 10 minutes. Then last Saturday I discovered that the piano in the YW room was completely unusable. It is dead. Not one key plays. It worked last Sunday, but not now. I am now worried about how I will rehearse on Sunday with the girls. I found my pitch pipe, thinking that I can just do it a capella. All day Saturday as we are having OM, going to the Sing Along of FROZEN, and going to Giselle (San Francisco Ballet) I continued to think about how I could do this.
On Sunday morning I continued to think about my rehearsal with the girls. I thought about getting Brother Stucki or Brother Panek to bring their keyboards in, but that is a lot of work for 10 minutes of rehearsal. And then the thought crossed my mind. Years ago the church made available small table top keyboards for a very reasonable price to help train a new generation of piano players for the church. They are about 4 octaves. I then began thinking about who might have one in the ward that we could borrow it. And then another distinct impression came; look in the library. Wow, where did that thought come from? I made a few phone calls to try and talk to a ward librarian. Sister Erlick said there used to be one but she did not know if there was still one there.
I arrived at the church and went to the library. As I entered the library I let me eyes wander around the room. And there it was, on the very top of the upper cupboard in the right corner, a keyboard. I was totally blown away, and completely thankful. As I contemplated what had happened, the words came to my mind, “I am mindful of you in the small things, and I am mindful of you in the big things”. During testimony meeting, I was able to share my experience.
Now we move to Monday. Had my blood drawn on Monday morning, waiting to hear the results from Dr. Liu. Tuesday morning at 6:00 am I rolled out of bed and checked to see if there was a message from Dr. Liu. There was. I was crushed to see that my tumor marker went up to 113. That is 30 points from 3 weeks ago. AARRGGHH!!!!!!! In the last 9 weeks the tumor marker has gone up 55 points!!! I cried, I was angry, I said my bad word. I cried some more, but I had to get ready for work because it was Kindergarten registration and I was running the office. And then the words came to me again; “I am mindful of you in the small things, and I am mindful of you in the big things.” Wow!!! My Heavenly Father is very well aware of what is happening and He is leading me through this. I was blown away.
How thankful I was for work on this day. I was running the office while Miss Jana and Miss Karen were in the MU registering the new little ones for kindergarten in the fall. There were a ton of phone calls; some in connection with kindergarten. There were people very nervous about their children starting school and I felt I was very helpful in calming them down and getting them answers to their questions. I applied several bandages, helped control and stop a very impressive bloody nose, took many temperatures, gave the evil crud eye to a few students who were making very poor choices, made a schedule for teachers to sign up for my 10 minute Olympics presentation on Friday, got in touch with a parent (boy at the school was bit by a dog walking in front of the school. 4 puncture markers and without the information from the dog owner about shots, the kid was going to have to start rabies shots. Dog owner called in and I was able to finally track down the parent and get them the information. Felt like a hero on that one), and basically saved the day. I was so thankful to be busy and useful and around others instead of sitting at home freaking out. By the time I got home from work I was in a much better frame of mind.
Another interesting thing I have noticed. During the last 9 weeks I have been on this medication, our prayers have been “We pray that this medication will be very successful in controlling this cancer, but if not, let us know quickly so we can move on to something else. I double checked with dad and Kylie and we do not remember that second phrase “but if not, let us know quickly so we can move on to something else” being used at any other time. Just this time, with this particular medicine. Interesting. I think we have found out very quickly that this particular medication is not effective. I feel so strongly the hand of the Lord through these last few days.
I find that I get mad at the cancer sometimes. I don’t like it and I wish it would just go away. But I have learned so much these last 8 ½ years. With the challenges have come many blessings for our family and I am grateful.
I am thankful to be done with this medication because I do not want the side effects on my hands and feet. Who knows what other side effects are in my future. I have a PET scan on Feb 12 and a meeting with Dr. Liu on Feb 14. We shall see what she recommends next.
Grandma Lambert has been slowing down. She is more confused and having great difficulty breathing. They have started Hospice care to try and keep her comfortable. Whenever we get a phone call at an extreme time I expect to hear that she has moved on.
My parents continue to move along at a slow pace. I enjoy speaking with them each week. I am grateful they are still around.
Have a great week. We love each of you so very much. We pray for your safety, success, happiness and good health several times each day. I hope you feel of our love. I hope you are happy!!!
Be good, and know that all is well at home.
An interview with Lyn Blatter:
Lyn Wing Blatter served with Lisa Lambert in a Stake Primary calling. "The first time I saw her in action was when we were visiting CV1 and she was the music leader. Oh my goodness this woman is incredible! And the kids were just eating at of her hand. The time I was there She had some tall man in the front of the room and as the kids would sing louder she would cut his tie. The kids loved it! It was an old tie she brought from home but the kids loved it. They thought it was so hilarious and she just played it up. After that I thought, I want her in the Stake. I didn’t know about her breast cancer and everything she had been through; I was mesmerized by her though. She had use of both hands. When she came to work with me and work with the kids we had them sing twice in Stake conference. “Oh my gosh she was just magical”. She did the 11-year-old scouts and she was just…..just so…… She is so dynamic with the things that she can do. I don’t know where she gets her creativity I wish I had it a tenth of it. She would come up with the most amazing things. She was over the scouts in Primary and the 11-year-olds would have an 11-year-old day camp. She was in charge of it. She couldn’t ever go to it because it always fell on Kylie’s dance recital day. But she would set everything up. She would come out for part of it I think. She would come out for the Friday night part of it. She was very efficient. You never had to worry about a thing with her. She took Carol Nelson’s place and I thought we need someone of Carol Nelson’s caliber to replace Carol and Lisa was. The tie thing is what sold me on her. She was phenomenal. When those kids sang in Stake Conference they were just amazing because she had worked with them and taught them what they needed to do and she just she was able to pull out of them this incredible choir. Even though they were little kids. Just the fact that she was able to entertain the kids and have them learn without them even realizing it. They had so much fun. They were like putty in her hands. They didn’t even realize getting them to do exactly what she wanted them to do. It was great!"
Profile Rep
Christmas carols echo down the hall where youth practice. The woman directing uses one arm and an encouraging smile. The teens singing probably cannot comprehend the death sentence she lives under.
These adolescents were in grade school or toddlers when the chorister lost her hair during chemotherapy the first time. For years she has taught them music in church and as a teacher substitute and secretary at the Elementary School.
There is a matter of fact acceptance of her slow loss of right arm movement over the years and the fact that she is flat chested. They are only aware that she will make them sound good for their performance.
According to the American Cancer Society three percent of women in the US will develop breast cancer, one to five percent of those women will develop Inflammatory Breast Cancer or IBC.
In 2005 Lisa Bills Lambert was treated for mastitis which lingered the whole summer. On August 31 she was sent to the Breast Care Clinic and diagnosed on September 1 with IBC at Stage 3B.
The National Cancer Institute explains symptoms of IBC manifest in stage three or four when cells have already metastasized - or moved to lymph nodes and other distant parts of the body. It mimics symptoms of a regular breast infection and is undetected in mammograms.
The Institute further clarifies that starting treatment in stage one or two is preferable as better results are shown in most invasive breast cancers. But IBC doesn’t manifest until stage three.
Unlike other breast cancers, the breast itself becomes the IBC tumor as the cancer cells line the milk ducts and spread beyond the ducts. This causes the breast to become inflamed, swollen and red (National Cancer Society.)
Historically, women with IBC, who were only treated with surgery, radiation therapy or chemotherapy, had only a five percent chance of living for five years. However, the Nation Cancer Society found that 28 percent of women with IBC survived 15 years longer when they were treated with all three therapies.
The US National Library of Medicine states, “IBC is an aggressive and lethal form of breast cancer.”
The study shows that 52.7% of women with IBC die within 12 months. Non-IBC breast cancers have a 7.5% per year death rate.
Lambert is prescribed chemotherapy to shrink her tumor - the whole breast - then have a mastectomy - surgery to be followed by radiation therapy.
Wanting her children not to be freaked out she was losing her hair, she had them assist her in buzzing her hair to 1 inch length. Lambert laughs when she recalls, “They had entirely too much fun.”
On Saturday the shower got clogged with all the hair just falling out. The children were matter of fact, “Yup hair falling out, chemo is working.”
Dr. Steven Lore MD describes chemotherapy as a treatment to stop cells from dividing. When DNA in certain cells misdirects the signal to stop dividing, but it keeps on dividing without dying - that is cancer.
Cells that divide every day are hair, skin, blood, bone marrow, and the digestive system. All are effected by chemotherapy. Amy DeMordaunt RN observes the horrible side effects of children who have sores in their mouth, cannot keep food or water down and are dehydrated.
She explains, “Everybody responds differently to chemotherapy.”
Lore explains that side effects from chemotherapy start to improve as soon as the therapy is over. He said, “Our body has an amazing ability to repair itself. Most side effects from chemotherapy generally disappear once treatment is over.”
Lambert describes, “The realization that I’m still here. I’ve got today. I’m pretty sure I’ve got tomorrow, and I’m pretty sure I’ve got next week. I have something to live for, I have things to do. I couldn’t give up my children, I couldn’t give up my husband, I couldn’t give up being a mom.”
In December she hosted a 5th grade school party for 34 students, despite excessive exhaustion. The other parents in the class stepped up to help her.
In January of 2006 she had a mastectomy where they also took out all the lymph nodes in her right arm.
Donna Ruth, Lambert’s husbands cousin, came to help after the surgery. Lambert remembers, “She laughed and smiled and told stories and she helped me empty my drains and measure them. She was an amazing cook, gracious, helping the children when they got home from school.”
Since 27 or the 32 lymph nodes test positive for cancer, she started radiation treatment as soon as she could get her arm above her head - which was very difficult with a chunk taken out of her arm pit.
Lambert said, “I tolerated the radiation very well. The lighter your skin the more burned you get. I have lily white skin and it got burnt. The worst part come about 10 to 14 days after you stop the treatments. I was blistered, peeling, oozing and gross. My clothes were sticking to it.”
Her daughter Amy was learning to drive so Lambert would make appointments when her daughter got off school. Amy needed something to activity do for her mother.
A few months later Lambert described, “The scans came back looking good. It was like this huge ray of light wash over me. I was so thankful to my Heavenly Father.”
Two years later the Lambert family decided to do something they had never done before. They took the children out of school and went to Disneyland. They got three day hopper passes and had, “THE BEST TIME EVER!”
Lambert is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and teaches young women 12 years old. Then she was called to be a Primary chorister. One day she cut off the tie of a gentleman as the children would sing louder and better.
Lyn Blatter who was visiting said, “I was mesmerized by her. She was so creative and magical teaching the children. They didn’t even know they were learning.”
Blatter asked Lambert to be with her in the Stake Primary. Lamber co-chaired a cub scout day camp and directed children’s choirs. She was a secretary at the Elementary school. She would sub in the classes when needed. She accompanied everywhere on the piano.
Another three years go by with periodic checks with her oncologist. Lambert says, “So we hit my five year mark and it was miraculous and wonderful, things were going well.”
A side effect she began to notice was tingling in her arm and hand. A reduction of movement. It was radiation induced brachial plexopathy and lymphedema.
Those who receive radiation just below the neck and shoulder are at risk of brachial nerve damage. American Society for Surgery of the Hand states, “These nerves control the muscles of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand as well as provide feeling in the arm.”
American Cancer Institute states, Lymphedema occurs when the lymph system is damaged or blocked. Symptoms include swelling, trouble moving joint or arm, feeling of tightness, itching, burning and trouble falling asleep.
Symptoms may occur very slowly over time, there is no cure. Compression garments encourage the fluid out of the affected limb. Lambert started wearing one.
She also had an especially made brace so she could type and use her right fingers. Gradually she started losing the ability to accompany on the piano the children at school for all their grade concerts and programs.
Fast forward to May 2012, Lambert notices little bumps are growing on her mastectomy scar.
She emails her oncologist about them, and later that day gets the message, “This is Kaiser we need to see you immediately, we have an appointment for you at ____ (time.)”
The biopsy results showed she was positive for cancer again and it was in her breast bone and chest area.
Her oncologist said, “It’s stage 4, it’s metastasized, it’s spread to some areas, so we’ll have to control it.” Lambert stopped taking one drug she had been on for years and began another. Her tumor markers started to go down.
In October of that year she noticed that her left breast was acting like the right one had years earlier. When Lambert was sent for a biopsy in the Surgery department, Kate Manning walked into the room, “%##$! I can’t believe this happened to you, man this sucks!”
Lambert laughs and replied, “I’m on a fact finding mission. What are our options, what can be done?”
Lambert spells out, “I don’t want people to say there’s nothing else we can do; or lets just see what happens next. No, I want to be doing something and I’m up for whatever we need to do. Yes, I’ve been through all of it before but I can go through it again because that’s what needs to happen.”
Different chemotherapy medications were used, she lost her hair. She still had ‘Harry’ her wig though she describes wearing it as, “A bra wrapped around your head.”
Then on March 25 she had another mastectomy of her left breast. Her husband’s sister Linda came to stay this time. Lambert comments, “She kept my spirits up, lightened the mood, and just took care of us.”
When Lambert’s friends asked, “Why is God letting her lose her talents?” Amy Lambert, Lisa’s oldest daughter replied, “Maybe God wanted her to learn new talents.”
In 2015 Lambert is still fighting. Every month she has blood test to show tumor markers up or down. Her right arm is completely useless and hangs at her side in a compression sleeve. Lambert types with one hand letters to her son on a mission. She directs the congregation and youth and adult choirs. She subs at the school as a teacher and secretary.
She helps her daughter in fund raisers. She makes sure the Show Choir at school has a place to practice. She tries new kinds of chemotherapy drugs when her tumor markers go up.
Dr. Candice Smith MD who works with infections in children at Sanford, tells the miracle is that Lambert is around children many days with all their illness. After chemo there is a month or so that the body is vulnerable to infections and fungus through the skin. Why isn’t she sick?
Lambert’s friends know why she is still alive and doing well. Pam Hosking explains that, “Lisa has some kind of deal with God. Her life expectancy was only five years.”
Hosking expounds that the latest experimental treatment she had in San Francisco, basically burned out her entire body. She is the only one to survive. She’s had lots of different treatments. Hosking further explains that at one point she was walking around with blisters all over her body.
Kylie, Lambert’s daughter stayed with the Hosking while Lambert and her husband went to the funeral for Donna Ruth, the cousin who helped her. Lambert had just began a new type of chemotherapy.
“After driving all that way and paying her respects, she comes home tired. Next thing I know Ralph [Lambert’s husband] is on the doorstep with a loaf of her cinnamon bread in thanks.”
Hosking said, ”That’s the thing she is always showing gratitude for whoever helps her. She doesn’t stand around in a pity party.”
She is doing more than living through it. She is strong and looking around at others who are helping her through this. Being grateful and showing that gratitude with notes, service, and gifts of cinnamon bread Hosking states.
“The thing is,” she confides, “Lisa had Kylie as a gift from God when she was 40. She get’s cancer and says, ‘Just let me live to help her graduate from High School.’ And look what happens. No matter what she needs to go through she does and finds a way to be grateful.”
The youth Lambert directs today will sound wonderful on Christmas. She has been working hard on the Christmas program. Those in the choir often forget she has IBC. Kylie is a sophomore in High School. Miracles happen.
Update: Lisa was alive and vital until the February before Kylie's June high school granduation.
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