Our story begins January 18, 2010 – a date that my family will never forget. My sister, Lisa Noerr Rivera, age 32, had been given the diagnosis of breast cancer on that very day. Lisa was a mother of two beautiful baby girls, the oldest being 2 years old and the youngest being 8 months. She had her Masters of Education degree and was a teacher by trade. She was on sabbatical due to the recent birth of her youngest child. Lisa lived 3 hours away from her closest relative. The next year and 4 months were the most emotionally trying times my family had ever been through. My mom spent every minute of free time at Lisa’s side, helping with the children, driving her to doctors’ appointments, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and anything else my sister needed. Lisa’s husband, for obvious reasons, had to keep working during this time and the help from my mom was very much needed. As we watched my sister fight and fight to stay alive, we all agreed that the last thing she needed to be worrying about was whether the sheets got washed on a regular basis or the windows were clean. On top of the everyday things in life that needed done, there was the financial burden. My sister was no longer able to go back to work, so she had no income. Their only income was her husband’s. The bills began to mount; $5,000 a year in deductibles because her diagnosis was a catastrophic event. They still owed 20% of every office visit, procedure, and drug, including chemo, administered. Things such as anti-nausea medicines were not covered by insurance, because they were not necessary for treatment. The toll this takes on a family can be devastating, both financially and emotionally. My baby sister lost her courageous battle on May 15, 2011, just 5 days before her youngest daughter turned two.
From this terrible, terrible event has risen something wonderful. Lisa’s Ladybug Patient Care Fund has been established to help those in need dealing with a cancer diagnosis. Our mission is to provide individuals and their families affected by cancer, with positive support and services in our community. Our dream is to have a network of people who volunteer to cook meals, clean homes, mow grass, clean off sidewalks, do odd jobs, and just help out those in our community that are suffering due to this terrible disease. Financial help will also be available and we are hoping to team up with local pharmacies to help reduce the cost of some of these lifesaving medications, and to be able to help those who need the help with getting the medicines, transportation, and child care at a local facility that they need. Our dreams are big, but we are strong and we will achieve.