Lizz is a 30 year wife and mother.  She learned of her cancer diagnosis while pregnant with her son, Griffin.  

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"Thank you for having such an uplifting way to help people battling cancer. I am 30 years old and my story started July 13, 2016 when I was diagnosed with a very rare synovial sarcoma in my right foot. I was 35 weeks pregnant at the time and had spent my whole pregnancy on crutches with months and months misdiagnosis from several doctors, until I found someone who could help me.

 

My tumor in my foot became so aggressive and so large (the size of a softball) with my pregnancy because of my hormones, the doctors had to induce my labor at 36 weeks. They knew they could not safely save my foot, and performed an amputated below the knee 3 weeks after I gave birth to my sweet little boy Griffin. I thought I was in the clear of cancer and had my 3 month follow up CT scan. The scan showed new spots in my lungs. I had lung surgery to confirm what it was, and it was the same rare synovial sarcoma I had previously had in my foot. They needed to wait until the spots were bigger to remove them.

 

"I will never stop fighting and thank God for being my calm in this storm..."

 

By the time I had another CT scan, the spots had doubled in number and size, which they could no longer do surgery for. The only thing left to do was chemotherapy. They told me with chemotherapy, I will live maybe 6 months. I started chemotherapy in January. The first chemo regimen I was on unfortunately stopped working in July, so we decided to switch to our last chemo drug option, a drug
not specific to sarcomas. This has required inpatient for 5 days at a time in the hospital, which has been pretty rough, but I keep going!
Since starting this new chemo, I have been able to see my son turn one, throw a great birthday party for him, and return to most of my
normal routines for about two weeks in between each chemo cycle. My CT scan from August showed reduction in the size of my lung tumors, and stable spine and sacrum tumors, with no new growth. Amen! We are still praying and believing for complete healing from God as we continue to make the best healthcare decisions we can. People often ask me how many treatments I have left. I do not and will not have a set number of chemo cycles or radiation since there is no cure for this aggressive and rare type of cancer, but I will go forward with treatments until God says I am done and healed!

My crown experience
When I went to Studio 616 in April of 2017 to get my crown done, I was beyond excited. I had my dresses and jewelry picked out, but was
nervous to take my head scarf off because only my husband, infant son and grandmother had seen my bald head. After my video interview, I knew it was time. I took my head scarf off, Amanda and Steve started my henna and Jessica my make up. My mother-in-law was there with me for support, and I felt the presence of my mother there too, as she
would've loved to have seen the beautiful work everyone did for me and was always my supporter. I chose lilies in memory of my mother (her favorite flower) and a griffin (lion and eagle creature) to honor my son who is named Griffin. When they revealed the henna crown and make up to me in the mirror, it was absolutely stunning. I held back the tears as best I could (I didn't want to mess up my make up), and I
instantly saw such beauty and courage in the mirror looking back at me. I love taking and having photos taken, so the photo shoot
following this moment with Dave was so much fun! The photos captured my new confidence in a way only this experience could bring forward. I have met strong and beautiful women through this project, and many have become great friends to talk to and connect with in ways only people battling the same beast can relate. I will be forever in awe of this group of selfless people taking their time to help us battling cancer and making us feel beautiful again.

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Follow my progress

http://legslungsandlocks.blogspot.com

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