
When Lisa Ayer was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015, little did she expect that a tiny, yellow candy would be the catalyst to give her hope for the future.
"I did not tolerate chemo very well. The taste alone made me sick. But then my sister told me about Lemonheads. They were a godsend," says Lisa, 58, who lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Lisa found that the candy did more than help her endure treatment. "It had an amazingly powerful effect on my body and mind."
To commemorate the anniversary of her cancer diagnosis – and subsequent clean bill of health after surgery, chemo and proton beam therapy – Lisa decided to pay it forward. Lisa and her daughter, Katie, delivered two dozen bags filled with Lemonheads and other goodies to Mayo Clinic's Cancer Center for patients undergoing chemotherapy.
"Hope is the greatest gift you can give someone and if it takes Lemonhead candy to help someone feel better and give them a better frame of mind, then I will do it," she says.
Bruce Simones has worn many hats in his life and likes to be busy. He's been a student, father, nurse, business owner, mentor, friend, grandfather ...
As a five-year survivor of anaplastic pancreatic cancer, Jim Smith belongs to a small group of people to have reached the important milestone. In the ...
Editor's note: The Mayo Clinic Connect volunteer mentor featured in this story has asked that her Connect handle — @LoriBMT — be used in place ...