Remembering Erica

This past Tuesday, October 21 would have been Erica's 34th birthday. Those who are reading this blog, we hope you take a few minutes to look at the pictures from her last birthday, where many of you joined Erica to celebrate her life, faith, and courage. We hope you remember her faith, courage and especially her gorgeous smile!

The Lipman/Lopez Gang

Team Erica to Run Baltimore Relay

In Memory of Erica...

Baltimore Relay Marathon
Saturday, October 11, 2008, 8:00 AM
http://www.thebaltimoremarathon.com/

Team Erica relay runners: Christian, Chandra, Jason, Kelly, Jim, Liz, Tony, Mary, Jason, Jenny, Jaime, Omar, and Star are training together Sunday mornings.

What can you do?

-Support the team members with lots of encouragement
-Make a pledge to a runner or the whole team (donations will be sent to the Melanoma International Foundation)
-Go to Baltimore on October 11 to cheer the team on.

Watch the blog for more information to come!!

Safe in the Sun: Janna's Melanoma Presentation

Hello Erica's Armchair,
It has been a while since we have written anything. As the Spring ended and we move into Summer, the Lipman/Lopez gang will be working to celebrate Erica's life in other ways down the road. The first is a presentation about melanoma and skin cancer at our church, Bethel UCC in Arlington, where Erica's memorial service was held. I presented this information in May, during Melanoma/Skin Cancer Prevention and Detection month, at my company. Please feel free to attend if you are able, the more the merrier!

Janna and the Lipman/Lopez gang

Here is the blurb the church is sending out:

Safe in the Sun: Prevention and Early Detection of Skin Cancer
Presented by Janna Lipman

Melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer. It is estimated that almost 60,000 cases of melanoma will be diagnosed this year. Of that number, about 40,000 will be men and 20,000 will be women.

On Sunday, July 13 at 11:30 am., a program titled “Safe in the Sun: Prevention and Early Detection of Skin Cancer” is being offered free of charge at Bethel United Church of Christ, 4347 Arlington Blvd. in Arlington, VA.

Presenter Janna Lipman will share information related to the screening, prevention, and treatment of melanoma and share her personal story about her sister’s battle with this often deadly form of cancer. In a desire to educate others and save lives, Ms. Lipman first presented this program to her colleagues at a management consulting firm following the untimely death of her 33-year-old sister this April.

Ms. Lipman’s presentation will launch a new monthly seminar series being offered free to the public by Bethel Church.

All are welcome to attend. Free parking is available next to Bethel Church in the Red Cross parking lot. Refreshments and discussion will follow the presentation.

For further information, call 703-528-0937.

Remembering Erica - Another Thank You

The Lipman/Lopez families would like to extend a great big thank you to all who supported Erica’s fight against melanoma through your responses to the blog, your emails and cards, your visits to her home, hospital rooms and Hospice, and the attendance of about 400 people at the Memorial Service celebrating her life. We are gratified to know what a huge impact Erica had on all of you.

We hope that you will continue to check her blog, read her inspiring messages, and look at her beautiful smile. As mentioned before, we plan to hold additional celebrations of her life down the road and will post information on the blog. There are many wonderful ideas including soccer tournaments, walks/runs, and more which we know Erica would enjoy.

Again, thank you for your thoughts, prayers, love and support during this past year and especially now as we grieve and celebrate Erica's life.

The Lipman/Lopez Gang

Memorial Service Part 2 - Parking and Bright Colors

Erica mentioned at our grandmother's memorial service that she did not understand why people wore black to these things: it is a celebration of life. Please feel free to wear fun colors to celebrate Erica's life on Sunday (as many of you know, blue was her favorite color!).

***Please join our families for a reception following the service at the church.

***Child care services will be available during the service and reception at the church.

Parking:
***If possible, please carpool!

***Handicap parking is available on either side of the church.

Otherwise, please park in one of the following lots available:

Arlington Chapter of the Red Cross
The Red Cross is right next to the church, off of N. Trenton St.
4333 Arlington Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22203

Arlington Masonic Temple
The Masonic Temple is across Arlington Boulevard from the church on George Mason Drive
1 S. George Mason Drive
Arlington, VA 22204

Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington
The Uniterian Church is across from the Masonic Temple on George Mason and Arlington Boulevard
4444 Arlington Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22204

The Lipman/Lopez Gang

Memorial Service - Sunday, April 13, 2008

A Memorial Service will be held Sunday, April 13, 2008 for Erica, please see details below. We are also planning a Celebration of Life for Erica down the road, so please keep an eye out for information if you are unable to attend the Memorial Service. If you are unable to attend the service, but would like to send a message to be read during the service, please send it to Erica's email and mark in the subject line "To be read at Memorial Service".

What: Memorial Service for Erica Joyce Lopez
When: Sunday, April 13, 2008
Time: 1:30 PM
Where: Bethel United Church of Christ
4347 Arlington Blvd
Arlington, VA 22203

Parking is available at the Red Cross next to Bethel or at the Masonic Temple on George Mason Drive. We will post additional information on parking later this week.

In lieu of flowers, Erica and her family request donations be sent to any of the following charities in her memory:

Melanoma International Foundation
250 Mapleflower Road
Glenmoore, PA 19343
Checks payable to Melanoma International Foundation (MIF)
Non-profit certificate #29498
Or you can make an online donation at www.melanomainternational.org.

Melanoma Research Foundation
170 Township Line Road, Building B
Hillsborough, NJ 08844
Checks payable to the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF).
EIN # 76-0514428
You can also go online to make a donation at www.melanoma.org.

Capital Hospice
Attn: Development Office
6565 Arlington Blvd, Suite 500
Falls Church, VA 22042
Checks payable to Capital Hospice
Please go online for additional information at www.capitalhospice.org.

The Final Lap and some Thank Yous

This afternoon, Erica ran her final marathon lap while surrounded by family and friends. We would like to share some thank yous.

First, thank you Erica. Thank you for your tremendous goodness. Thank you for your sweetness, your gentleness, and your passion. Thank you for your willpower, endurance, and that great competitive fire. Thank you for flashing that bright beautiful smile and your simple, honest approach to life. Thank you most for your commitment to your family, your friends, and above all, Christian.

Second, thank you to this tremendous community who loved, cheered, laughed, cried, prayed, held, hugged, cared, supported, called, visited, took care of the garden, wrote cards, mailed letters and care packages, stopped by with meals and groceries, and otherwise transformed Erica's fight with melanoma into this community's fight with melanoma. Thank you fighting with us.

Please check back here for information about a Memorial Service and Celebration of Life.

Erica, Christian and the rest of the Lipman/Lopez Gang

Capital Hospice

As per the last posting, Erica and Christian decided to enlist Hospice home care to help Erica with her pain management. In speaking with the nurse, it was decided to admit Erica to Capital Hospice Inpatient Unit in Arlington on Wednesday for pain management.

The nurses at the inpatient unit have worked to control her pain and make her comfortable, however her condition is declining from the cancer. We continually talk to her and we know she is listening, however she is unable to speak back to us.

As always, we ask that you keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

The Lipman/Lopez Gang

Palm Sunday Pictures

Please look for new pictures from Palm Sunday weekend, just about 4 weekends ago with family and friends.

Journey Continuing

Erica finished her second treatment of anti CTLA4 and is home resting. She does tire easily, but her spirits are great. As per her last blog, one of the main issues is managing her pain. With her oncologist and clinical trial doctors in Baltimore, she decided to contact Capital Hospice home care to help ensure her pain management is controlled. A nurse will stop by the house a couple of days a week to make sure she can get her medicines on time and make sure she is comfortable throughout the day.



She continues to be committed to the clinical trial and her positive attitude which is an inspiration to all of us!



Your thoughts and prayers are doing wonders for Erica and the rest of her family and we ask that you continue those hourly, daily, and weekly!



Love,

The Lipman/Lopez Gang

Second Treatment Today

Just a quick update:

Erica traveled to Baltimore today for her second treatment of the anti-CTLA4. She will be back home resting this evening.

Janna

Hope, Faith and Courage

Hello to my ever-wonderful friends and family and also to those of you whom I don't know personally, but continue to keep up with me and my story on this blog.
I want to say thank you to everyone, because I feel so much positive energy and love all around me.

This past month has been quite a challenge for me both physically and emotionally. I am concentrating on overcoming these challenges in many ways, and am really drawing from the knowledge, expertise and compassion of my medical/oncological team. We have been working really hard over the past couple of weeks to manage my pain, which in turn has helped to ease my stress. Pain is a burden...it is a horrible, nasty thing that needs to be addressed and taken care of.

It was a little hard for me at first to let go of my stereotypes and preconceptions about pain management in order for me to find the right balance of medications. This week, I am much more comfortable overall and am now able to draw on my inner strength to help me cope and to redirect all of my energy into my renewed fight against this crazy cancer.
I am learning new things about myself everyday and I know that I have the hope, faith and courage to enter this battle head on.
I will enlist each and everyone of you to join me as I begin to make this long, arduous journey back to health, fighting each and every fight as it comes my way.

Thank you and please keep those positive thoughts and prayers coming.
Love,
Erica

First Treatment Finished

Erica went up to Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore last Thursday for her 1st clinical trial treatment. All went well, although it was a long day. So far, all seems good, a few side effects and still a lot of fatigue.

Erica was able to get out a little this weekend and has been enjoying time with her brother Cory and her uncle David. They played a mean game of pinochle on Friday!

Erica will continue resting a recovering until the 4th week, when she is scheduled to return to the hospital for her next day of treatment.

The Lipman/Lopez gang

Starting Clinical Trial Thursday

Erica went through a battery of tests on Tuesday and is now ready to start the clinical trial on Thursday. She will be in the hospital as an outpatient for the day and then home in the evening to rest, recouperate and let the drugs do their job. There may be a few side effects from the anti-CTLA-4 also known as MDX-010, but hopefully they will be minimal. One thing we did find out is she should not lose her hair...she loves her short cut!

After the treatment tomorrow, Erica will then have 3 weeks off and head back for a day again. She will have treatment the 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th weeks and then a CT scan to see what is happening.

Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers...keep them coming!

The Lipman/Lopez Gang

Medical Terms & Next Steps

Ok, to all of you medically minded people (Janna is not one of those and the one who wrote the last blog) the catheter is actually in her pleural or lung cavity.

The good news is Erica has an appointment at Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore on Tuesday where she will get different tests done in preparation for her to start treatment. They hope to start later in the week, but we are not sure when it will happen. The clinical trial at Franklin Square is an anti-CTLA4 treatment. She will be in the hospital for a day and then will be home for about 3 weeks before she goes for the next treatment.

Thanks again to everyone for keeping Erica in your thoughts and prayers; they definitely help Erica knowing she has so many people pulling for her.

Janna & The rest of the Lipman/Lopez gang

A Setback

It was a year ago this time that we started this blog and Erica was diagnosed with metastasized melanoma. Through 6 boughts of biochemotherapy and two surgeries, in December we had good news that she was "cancer-free".



Last Monday, President's Day, Erica called her oncologist as she was having shortness of breath and was still extremely fatigued. Her oncologist sent her in for an x-ray which showed a mass on her right lung and fluid in her left lung. After draining 1.7 liters of fluids, Erica felt a lot better and waiting for results to be sent to her oncologist. On Thursday she went for a CT scan and then met with her oncologist to find out what was going on. The news is that she has multiple tumors on her liver and now in her lungs.

Her oncologist is working to get her into a study to start treatment, hopefully in Baltimore. In the meantime, she went to Fairfax Hospital on Monday and had a catheter inserted in her lungs to allow for drainage as fluid continues to build up. The procedure went well and she is resting at home.

Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as we wait for the next steps.


The Lipman/Lopez Family

Trip to Miami

Christian and I just spent the past 6 days in Miami. Christian returned to run the Miami Marathon this year, while I cheered him on. The marathon was on Sunday, January 27th, with a start time of 6:15 am. Christian finished in 4 hours. He did an awesome job and I had fun cheering him on at several stops along the way and watching him cross the finish line. I was accompanied by his 13 year-old niece Jennifer and his friend Elon who both live in Miami. Jenny and I were able to see the wheel chair athletes and the elite runners as we awaited Christian in South beach around Mile 6.5 of the race. It was a lot of fun to see so many runners, and especially to be able to cheer Christian on!

After the marathon, we spent time enjoying the beach (with lots of sunscreen, hats and umbrellas), touring the sites and visiting with family and friends. We had a really nice time and it was great to get away. The weather was absolutely gorgeous...sunny, breezy and warm.

It was different being a spectator this year versus running the marathon last year. I must say, that it is much more fun to watch than to run, but maybe I'll be up for a half marathon next year...who knows???

I seem to have picked up a head cold somewhere along my trip and must say that colds aren't much fun, but I guess it's that time of year.
I hope all of you are doing well and keeping healthy.
Thanks for continuing to check my blog.
Love,
Erica

8 weeks out

It's now mid January and I am 8 weeks post op. Time flies! I am feeling great overall and went into work for 2 hours yesterday. I will also work for 2 hours on Wednesday and continue working a few hours next week. I am taking it slow getting back into work so that I don't overdo it or become overwhelmed.

We celebrated Christian's 31st birthday over the weekend at Deep Creek Lake in western Maryland with a bunch of friends. It was nice for me to get away from home and it was a very low key and relaxing trip. Christian and our friends were able to get in some quality time on the slopes. Janna and I relaxed, played cards and watched from inside the lodge. Though I missed being able to ski this year, I definitely had a fun time and it's nice to come away without any bruises...

Erica

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Sorry I haven't posted a message in a while. I've been having some technical difficulties getting into the site. I hope everyone had a nice time over the holidays. I had lots of fun spending time with family. I have begun to eat better over the past week. My appetite has returned and I don't seem to need enzymes anymore. In fact, I am completely off medication now. I am starting to gain back some of the weight I lost (about 12-15 pounds since surgery).

My follow up visit with my surgeon was great. I can consider myself cancer free. Yeah!!!! Because of the very high risk of recurrence of melanoma, I will have CT scans and follow up visits every three months.

I still get tired easily and usually have to find a place to sit if I'm up and about for more than 20 to 30 minutes. My abdominals are very weak and I have to wait a few weeks until I can begin strengthening them.
My doctor said I can begin progressing my activities as I feel able and that I should focus on living my life. Sounds like a plan!!!

I am excited about the New Year and enjoying a HAPPY and HEALTHY 2008. Christian and I had a nice relaxing evening watching movies and playing games with his younger brother Sohel. We rang in the new year sipping sparkling cider.
I wish everyone a healthy and happy 2008, filled with lots of love and laughter!!!!
Love,
Erica