David Lauser's Wife Diagnosed With Inoperable Brain Tumor

This is so unbelievable. I’ve met her once, and “spoken” with her via email in the past, and she really is a sweetheart. She was on the VHML in the early days, and ran the original SHML. I hope to God she beats this.

https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/lj92/projectliza?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=fb_share_stream.share&utm_campaign=vanity_page_T1&og_action=hug&t=3&fb_ref=981284

Liza’s family and friends are uniting to raise money to help with her battle against brain cancer. Please show your support.

We are asking for your help because Liza was diagnosed on April 23rd with brainstem glioma – a brain tumor within her brainstem that is inoperable. Still so hard to even comprehend by Liza, her family and her friends.

She has health insurance, but unfortunately it covers very little of the medical costs that are being incurred, and because of the tumor’s location within the brainstem, time is the most extremely valuable commodity involved. She is starting treatment next week.

When Liza received the diagnosis, it really didn’t sink in immediately for any of us. As it continued to sink in, the journey to healing began – and because Liza is not a patient person, always wanting to work towards a solution, the planning began immediatley.

As Liza has consistently said to her co-workers, colleagues, and employees, “Never present a problem without a solution.” She’s been in action mode since day 2, as she realizes “her little friend” (the so appropriate name her 30 year old stepdaughter Ella gave the tumor) is not giving her the luxury of time. Every minute movement the tumor makes, because of its location within the brain stem, will have an impact on Liza’s ability to function. She is in total action mode, and we are asking for your support so we can ensure financial barriers don’t decide her fate. Thank you.

For those of us who know Liza, she is the epitome of “life” – she is a bundle of energy (an extreme understatement), she is passionate, life-loving, ever so active, and a joy to be around – such a positive person.

Liza was born and raised in the midwest (the Quad Cities), moved to California to go to the University of Redlands, and on to law school at DePaul University in Chicago. She practiced law for almost 17 years, culminating with her position as a managing attorney at the insurance company Fireman’s Fund, before she “retired” from the practice of law at age 40 to find her passion.

Her true passion is tennis – she started playing at age 5, lessons at 6, tournaments at 7, ranked Top 10 in Iowa at 12, Captain of the Tennis Team and voted Most Inspirational Player at the University of Redlands, and even floundered on the women’s Satellite tennis circuit for a couple of years. As her husband David likes to brag, she was the number 1 player in Women’s 40 & over singles in Northern California in 2010.

After she retired from the practice of law, she ran two Curves health clubs – first in Mill Valley then added Novato, California – and enjoyed getting to know hundreds of women and learn from them about everything there is to know. She wanted to even write a book, “The Things I Learned at Curves.” As any woman who has enjoyed being a member of Curves knows, you join for the exercise, but you stay for the community – Liza loved it.

Liza also loves seniors. They slow her down (and those of us who know Liza know that’s not easy!), and remind her of what is important. To that end she started an in-home care agency – HomeWell Senior Care. HomeWell is a franchise and she built it from the ground up, and in 2012 it was the fastest growing HomeWell franchise in the world.

Liza has had to completely clear her plate, so to speak, to fight this fight. She has closed and sold all her businesses, resigned from her Board membership on Whistlestop (a non-profit for older adults in Marin that she loves and will continue to support however she can), and also has ended her membership in BNI, a networking organization she was a part of for almost 5 years.

She now is focused on winning this fight. Thank you for your support.