This site is dedicated to the ongoing battle that Alysa Anne Barbarisi is fighting against Neuroblastoma.
A wonderful article was written in May 7th’s Arizona Republic by Lauri Roberts. You may read it here.
Alysa was born on August 30th.
Her Grandmother noticed swelling in Alysa’s abdomen at four months.
At six and a half months old she was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma.
Alysa had surgery and they could not remove the primary tumor. They will try again after the eighth session of chemo but only if the tumor shrinks. (God Willing!) They won't find out if she will need a bone marrow transplant until later in the treatment. It depends on how things go. Her right adrenal gland is the primary tumor site, she has multiple tumors (too numerous to count) in her liver, her bone morrow, bone at the base of the skull, breast bone, bone around the eyes, both sides of the neck and her pathology is unfavorable.
Alysa’s Mother, Lisa, is a part of a growing group of single mothers by choice. As a result of the Arizona Republic article she was shocked at how much negative feedback she received. Many people believe that if a child isn’t conceived the “natural” way then they should never have been. Today's families are changing. In an age when "normal" families are locking their naturally conceived children in closets for years at a time... Lisa's "abnormal" family looks very loving.
Lisa was given her dream when Alysa was put into her arms. A dream that far too many people take for granted. She was loved long before she got here…
I can’t think of anything more natural than that.
After Alysa’s diagnosis Lisa took an unpaid 3 month leave of absense from her job at the Mayo Clinic. She wanted to concentrate fully on Alysa’s fight. Like most of us out there, Lisa lives paycheck to paycheck. She is unsure of how her bills will get paid during this ordeal, but it seems criminal that she has to worry about it. The list of her daily worries are simply too big.
A couple of Lisa’s co-workers have set up an account in their credit union to try to help. If you’d like to contribute, send checks to:
“Funds for Lisa”Account 44699
Research Administration at Mayo Clinic
13400 E. Shea Blvd.
Scottsdale, AZ 85259You’ll get a letter in the mail from Lisa for your contribution with a form for your taxes.
If you'd like to make a direct donation via Paypal, please click below: