Lara Ann Phelps Dwyer, age 32 passed away peacefully at home with her husband and family on Friday, January 19th 2007 after a lengthy battle with cancer that she fought for a year and a half with grace, dignity, courage and a beautiful smile always on her face even through the toughest of times and adversity.

Lara Ann Phelps was born on February 9, 1974 in Kansas City Missouri, the daughter of Michael and Mary (Sterner) Phelps. As a young girl, she had a humor and tenacity that continued throughout the length of her unforgettable life.

Lara was the spirit and light of so many people’s eyes and she continued that spirit as she grew into a young woman at St. Teresa’s Academy for girls in Kansas City where she was a soccer and tennis athlete. She received a BA from the University of Dayton where she continued to open her heart to a world of new friendships and adventures, such as living in Florence, Italy and London, England. Her years at St. Teresa’s and Dayton brought her unforgettable memories and friendships that will last throughout eternity.

On May 5, 2001, Lara married the love of her life and true soul mate, mark David Dwyer. Mark and Lara have had the pleasure of creating two beautiful and outstanding children, Tierney Ann Dwyer, age 4, and Paxton David Dwyer age 2.

Lara, an angel of God, dearly loved and enjoyed all of her family and friends with a genuine heart; In addition, she also had the courage to experience all life’s opportunities. Lara was an outgoing individual who loved outdoor activities; traveling throughout Europe, Australia and US, golf, snowboarding, and most of all she loved being a devoted mother to her darling babies and loving wife to Mark.

In the last year and half, Lara has touched and the lives of hundreds through her battle with cancer. A true inspiration to everyone she encountered, she has become a hero and role model to us all. Her love of life, her children and her husband has encouraged all of those to appreciate our families, friends and most importantly, God’s greatest gift, life.

Lara is survived by her husband Mark of Castle Pines, daughter, Tierney Dwyer and son, Paxton Dwyer both of Castles Pines, grandmother Carol Mitchell of Kansas City, grandparents jean and Ed Dwyer of Joplin, MO parents Michael and Mary Jo Phelps of Kansas City, sisters Carol Phelps of Houston, Michelle Phelps of Denver, brothers, Steven Phelps an fiancé` Brooke Johnson of Kansas City, and John Phelps of Denver, sister –in-law Kristen Dwyer Deakin, Rob Deakin brother-in-law of Ft. Collins, Kathy and Dave Dwyer mother and father-in-law of Ft Collins.

Lara is preceded in death by grandparents, Ory & Evelyn Phelps, John Mitchell, and uncle, Mikey Mitchell.

A memorial has been set up at US Bank under the account name of Lara Phelps/Dwyer.

Happy 2007 to you all!!! I hope that everyone had a wonderful and enjoyable holiday season. Our thoughts were with all of you.

I wanted to send a quick email to give you a Lara update. In all my time in writing these updates, I have always strived to find the right words, I’ve tried to express my love not only for the incredible person Lara is, but also for the incredible people that all of you are for sharing in this experience with us and constantly encouraging her.

Unfortunately, this email does not come with the greatest news. I don’t know how many of you know, but Lara’s last chemo treatments were extremely excruciating for her. She was allergic to the chemo and had about 5 reactions on separate occasions that could have killed her. After much thought and consideration, it has been advised by her doctors at MD ANDERSON and here at Rocky Mountain Cancer, that Lara no longer continue these chemo treatments because her body can not handle them. Lara, fighter that she is, did not want to do this, but unfortunately we have no choice on this one. Lara’s remaining lung is 30% covered in tumors and her body and organs have been strained greatly the last two years.

Lara, GOD BLESS her, our angel from God, has fought this battle with more DETERMINATION, SPIRIT, HEART, FAITH, COURAGE, STRENGTH AND HOPE, than any person I have ever encountered in my life. As the doctor’s say, “Human Spirit is STRONGER than any medicine,” and our case it is true more now than ever. We believe in Lara and her human spirit is incredible.

Lara, our angel on earth, maybe is ready for something higher, something more beautiful than we can possibly imagine because God needs her by his side.

Please understand that this email is very difficult for me to write. It is not easy to share something like this over email, however, there are so many people who are concerned and constantly asking about her health and we felt we needed to let everyone know. There is no right way, no humanly good way to break news like this, but I hope that you know this email comes from my heart and it is sent with the best intentions to inform you.

Lara and Mark are very thankful for everyone’s continuous support and they would love to be able to talk to everyone and see everyone, however, right now Lara is resting at home with her family. We would like this time to be peaceful for her so we ask that you please send messages through the website www.makeithappenforlara.com and we will make sure that Lara can read everyone’s words of love and encouragement.

We know that everyone will respect Lara and Mark’s wishes and understand that this is time for peace and togetherness for her family and not for emailing/talking on the phone. Please feel free to email me or contact me by phone if you have questions.

Thank you for all your support and love throughout this time, we will continue to ask for it everyday

God bless you all and much love and gratitude - Michelle Phelps

Good afternoon. I trust everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is gearing up for the holidays. I thought it might be nice to give some of you a quick update on Lara's status since many of you may not see her over Christmas and people have been sending emails and asking questions.

We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving in Kansas City with our family, and Lara,Mark and the kids were able to enjoy seeing some of their KC friends. She received a chemo treatment yesterday and she plans on being tested the week after Christmas to see if this chemo is effective. It has been a hard road, as she is allergic to this new chemo, however, as always, the determined fighter, Lara Dwyer, never stops pushing forward and doing all that she can with her family and children.

We greatly appreciate everyone's well wishes, support and prayers. We ask that you continue to keep Lara, Mark and their two children in your daily prayers throughout the Christmas Season. The Dwyer and Phelps Families are looking forward to an exciting and fun Christmas in Denver. We send our love to everyone and our praying for you and your families. You all hold a special place in our hearts for everyone who has continued to follow Lara's battle. I am sure that after the holiday season and her next test results,I will have additional information.

I know that Lara especially is grateful everyday for her support. She truly wishes she had the time to respond to all the letters, emails, messages and so forth that she receives, but the chemo does make her rather tired. Shef ollows the message board on her website, www.makeithappenforlara.com Please continue to communicate your wishes that way if you like.

God Bless your families throughout this holiday season and we pray for a happy 2007 for our dear friends, families, co-workers and neighbors. Much love and gratitude to you always, Michelle Phelps.

"I'M A FIGHTER NOT A LOVER." With a short little laugh, Lara says after explaining her results to me over the phone last week. The latest quote by little Lara Dwyer...... Yes, it is true she is quite the determined fighter and everyday her spirit continues to stay strong. It takes the heart of a fighter to continue the battle she fights daily. It has been almost two months since our last update. Lately, lots of people have been questioning and things get mixed up when passed by word of mouth,so I thought it would be best to give everyone a quick update on her latest results and our next step.

For the last 12 weeks, Lara has been receiving experimental chemo here in Denver. The same study that was done in Houston was also being administered here and she was able to get on the doctor's schedule in Denver so that she was not traveling back and forth to Houston. This experimental chemo is new and they thought it might have a better chance of shrinking the nodules(small tumors) on her remaining lung. Lara has been receiving the treatments and spending time with her family and friends. Then last week, she made a trip to Houston to get tested and to see Dr. Benjamin, her oncologist, and see if the treatments were working. Unfortunately the test results showed that the experimental chemo was not working. The nodules grew a small amount and the chemo was ineffective. Although the results were disappointing, Lara and Mark kept their heads highand asked what the next best step is.

Our next step now is another chemo that Lara will also receive her in Denver. She will be working with her oncologist in Denver to get these treatments administered. They will be a 1 day treatment for two simultaneous weeks and then one week off. It is a strong chemo that workson sarcoma cancers and they hope it will work on her sarcoma (synovialcell). As with some of the other chemos, she will lose her hair again and she will be rather tired and need rest, but the doctors have hope that this will help in shrinking her nodules. Lara, Mark and their children as well as their families continue to appreciate everyone's much needed support. Every time I open Lara's website, I am overwhelmed by the beautiful messages that people send to Lara, Mark and the children. Our families our blessed to have so much loving, caring support and well wishes out there. Although Lara does not get to speak with everyone, it encourages her to read messages from all of you. Her heart is with you and your families.

Please continue to keep Lara in your thoughts and prayers as she continuesto fight. Everyone's support is greatly appreciated and it helps keepspirits high. Thank you for always thinking of her, Mark and the children.

Best wishes in the upcoming holiday season. Love, The Dwyer Family

We have had numerous emails and questions regarding Lara's status so I know it must be time for another update. I believe in the last email I told you she had just undergone the long and very delicate back surgery in late June. What a trooper she is! She came through it with "flying colors" and has had a marvelous recovery. She will be the first to credit her skilled surgeons and all the wonderful thoughts and prayers she has received from all of you and from others too. Thanks to each of you for your concern, your prayers and your support.

In early August, she and Mark went back to Houston where the doctors deemed she was strong enough to resume her chemo treatments. As you recall, she has a few spots on her remaining lung, which we hope and pray can be eliminated with chemotherapy. Her oncologist now has her on a Phase 3 Clinical Trial drug which has had good results and is almost ready for FDA approval. An additional plus for the drug is that it is administered in 24 hours and she does not have to be hospitalized. Lara received her first dose in Houston in early August.

Last week, approval was granted for her to receive her second dose (and possibly subsequent ones) in Denver from an oncologist who is also working with the study. She will receive it this week. In three weeks, she will return to Houston for tests, scans, etc. to evaluate the drug's effectiveness.

All our family--including Lara--spent a few wonderful days at a family wedding in early August. Since then, she and the children have been in KC with her parents. We anticipate Lara and Mark will be able to spend much more time in Denver this Fall and both children are enrolled in pre-school there.

The summer has gone fast for all of us and I imagine it has for all of you too. I hope this finds you and your families doing well. Take care.--Love, Kathy

Well, all I can say is the little engine that could!!!!! :-) I mean the
power of prayer, the will to live, the desire and love to be with your
children and family, the courage and strength to believe in yourself and
your doctors, the determination to fight and never give up, and truly
accepting that miracles happen when all of these things are working with you and for you. Lara is a fighter and everyday she continues to amaze us all with her overwhelming determination and strength.

After 12 long hours, Lara finally came out of surgery last night around 1:00
am Houston time. She is in ICU, and as Mark states below has full mobility
of legs, toes, arms, fingers etc. The removal of the tumor was successful
and they inserted the metal casing, rods and screws that replaced her 7th
vertebrae.

I still don't have all the details, but wanted to let you all know that she is in recovery. Please read Mark's response below. All I want to say is THANK YOU for the prayers that extended from NYC, Chicago, DC, KC, Denver,Fort Collins, Houston, LA, and the numerous other places yesterday. You have no idea how thrilled we are to have received successful results last night. Her doctors are very pleased and now she needs time to heal before continuing chemo. She will be in Houston until she is released to head back to Denver.

Thanks for always keeping Lara and families in your thoughts and prayers.
It is an amazing feeling to know that she has so much loving support out
there always. Best wishes and HAPPY 4th of July to everyone. :-)
Michelle Phelps

Thank you all for your well wishes yesterday. Things went well. The surgery was finally done around 2 last night (12 1/2 hours). When Lara woke up this morning she had full mobility in her legs and arms which was a really good sign. The pain team is working on getting everything under control on their end. We are obviously very relieved that the surgery is over and are looking forward to a successful next few days. Keep sending the good vibes. MD

Good morning, I wanted to send a quick update to ask everyone to please keep Lara in their thoughts and prayers on Tuesday, June 27. The last update I sent was only to a few people that I asked to be passed along and it was inregards that things were moving in the right direction and the nodules on Lara's lung had not grown, but were maintained. This was wonderful news,and still is fantastic results from the chemo; however, we unfortunately found out that the spot on her vertebrae had again begun to grow.

Dr. Benjamin, her oncologist, Dr. Rice, previous surgeon to remove her lung,and now Dr. Rhines, a neuro-surgeon have all conferred and come to theconclusion that our best course of action will be to go in and remove thistumor from her vertebrae.

Lara will return to Houston on June 22nd and the surgery will take place onthe 27th. Basically, in simple terms, it is about an 8 to 10 hour surgeryand they will go in and open her up from the back at the T5 to the T9vertebrae and will remove the T7 vertebrae. They will remove as much of thetumor as they can and remove all of T7 and replace it with metal rods andscrews. The doctors are the best in the world and they are very confidentand assured that this is the best route to take to ensure Lara's health.She will be in the hospital for about a week and then return to Denver forrecovery period.

Until her return to Houston, Lara is home in Denver enjoying the summertimewith her friends and family. She will be celebrating Tierney's 4th birthdaythis weekend and getting plenty of rest so that she remains strong beforethe surgery.

As most of you might know and in case you don't, Lara is one of thestrongest most courageous people I have ever come across in my life. Herstrength and happiness comes from those of you who continually show her yourlove, support and words of encouragement everyday. Not only is Lara luckyto have this support, but her husband, Mark and her two children, and theirfamilies could not be more grateful to everyone for all that they continueto do for them throughout this EXTENDED illness.

Thank you for the CONTINUED SUPPORT and STRENGH. Please keep Lara in yourthoughts and prayers. She knows that many of you try to contact her and Iknow that even though she can not respond to every email, card, phone calletc. her thoughts are out there thinking of you and wishing your familieswell. Even though she would love to respond and thank you herself, her timeat home is always limited and is spent enjoying her children. Each andeveryday, she does think about the support and she appreciates it more thanmost of you will know.

Thanks and much love, Lara, Mark, Tierney and Paxton Dwyer And Their Families.

Everyone is always asking what my doctor is like so now you all can put a face with a name! I also wanted to let you know my surgery is now moved to the 27th of June. They will go in through the back and cut from the T5-T9 vertebrae's and will remove the T7 vertebrae that has the tumor on it. It will be replaced with metal rods/screws and they will do their best to get all of the tumor. The surgery will last at least 8 hours and I will have the old surgeon Dr. Rice in there and a spinal surgeon, Dr. Rhines. They are both great surgeons and have concurred/discussed my situation quite a bit and feel very comfortable about the surgery. Right now, I am back in Denver and will be here until June 22 or so when I will head back down to Houston. Hope this email finds you all well and having a fun summer!

Much love,

Lara PS-This picture was taken before I lost my hair again!

Lara just called from Houston and her cat scan taken yesterday revealed minimal if any tumor growth, no new tumors and good clarity on her spine and rest of her chest cavities that were not previously affected. The Dr. and Radiologists were very encouraged by these results considering this was her first dose of the current chemo post operative. They will begin her next cycle tonight and with a little help from above the next scan will show shrinkage. Hope everyone is doing well. We will chat soon- I am sure. Again, my distribution list is pretty weak so please forward this on to whomever you would like. Mark

Good morning to everyone. I hope you are all enjoying the gorgeous springweather, I know that Denver is absolutely beautiful right now so I hope itis like that everywhere. Time has been flying by so quickly these last couple of months and Lara realized that we have not sent anyone an updatesince January.

In my last email she was having a vocal cord surgery, which went verysuccessful and she was trying to regain strength to start a clinical trialof chemotherapy (which was a new type of chemo). Right before they startedthe chemo they did discover that on her right lung she has several littlenodules (which are very very small tumors). This new chemo was supposed tobe less toxic on her body than her previous chemo. The goal was to go inand kill the nodules on her lung. For the last five weeks she has beenliving in Houston and receiving this outpatient chemotherapy. Yesterday,Lara had her first CT Scan to see if the chemo was working. She met withher oncologist, Dr. Benjamin after her CT Scan and unfortunately the chemodid not work. The tumors did not shrink and a few of them actually got alittle larger.

Lara is going to be admitted to the hospital today or tomorrow to start herregular rounds of chemo that she received this summer. This chemo issimilar to the experimental chemo, but much stronger. She will be in thehospital about five days to week (depends on blood counts) to receive thistreatment and then she should return home to Denver for about 2 weeks.

This will begin the old cycles of one week in Houston and two weeks in Denver. We are very positive and confident that this old chemo can go in and curethese spots on her lung. It will probably be about two rounds and thenanother test to make sure it is working. (6 to 8 weeks from now) Lara will be very happy to be able to return home during her weeks off so that she canbe in Denver with her children, Tierney who will be four in July and Paxtonwill be two in May.

I know all of you have been more than incredible to our families throughout the last year. There is never enough gratitude to offer all of you for yourcontinuous love, support, prayers, cards, gifts, etc.... Please know thatevery gesture means the world to us and we could not do this without you.

Please keep Lara, Mark and their children in your daily thoughts and prayers. Your continued support allows Lara to fight this battle withcourage and strength everyday. Knowing that she has everyone behind hermakes this easier for all of us to continue fighting and staying positiveeach and every day. If anyone has any questions, then please do not hesitate to contact me.Thanks again for everything that all of you do every single day. I knowthat I repeatedly say it, but you truly do not understand what it means toour families to have you all out there supporting and caring for us. All our love, Mark, Lara, Tierney and Paxton Dwyer

Good morning and Happy FRIDAY to everyone.
I have been receiving emails and phone calls from people and thought it might be a good idea to let everyone know how Lara is doing and what our next course of action is.
Lara is doing absolutely wonderful and is currently in Denver with Mark, my Mom and her children. We had a little bit of a rocky road over the holidays because of her chyle leak (http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic381.htm), however she is now healing and feeling a 100 times better than before. After Christmas she returned to MD Anderson and Dr. Rice performed a surgery to repair the chlye leak and stop the fluid that was building up in her body. The surgery was very successful and she is now in the healing process and trying to regain strength everyday.

Lara will be returning to MD Anderson on February 1st where she will have a small out-patient operation to repair her vocal cord that was paralyzed in the major surgery she had in October. It is a small procedure, but necessary to ensure her health. After this procedure the surgery team will be finished with her for the time being and she will again be working with her oncologist, Dr. Benjamin, to go in and start chemotherapy. She is currently trying to rebuild her strength and as long as she is strong enough, then they will plan to start chemotherapy as soon as she returns to Houston. Lara still has a very small tumor on her 7th vertebrae and two very very small nodules on her right lung. Dr. Benjamin is extremely confident that with a few rounds of chemo they can contain the spot on her vertebrae and remove the nodules on her lung.
As of right now, they believe they will have to do another operation to remove the spot on her 7th vertebrae because it is in the bone, however, that is something we will deal with as the time comes. Right now, the goal for Lara is to become as healthy as she can and rebuild her strength and energy so that her body will be able to handle the chemo treatments.
After two or three rounds of chemo, then she will reevaluate with her doctors on what course of action(surgery, radation) she will need to take to continue on the road to recovery. So as it stands now, they will begin the schedule of 10 days or so in Houston and then three weeks in Denver.

Lara wants me to thank everyone for their continued support of her and her family as she continues to fight this battle. She was thrilled to see her friends and family over the holidays in KC and she is so thankful to have all of you in her life.
For those of you who do know Carrie, I want you to know that she is doing fantastic as well. Her foot is now in a hard cast and she continues to heal everyday, but still has about two more months’ rehabilitation and physical therapy until she will be able to walk on the foot again. I know that Carrie appreciates everyone who has been there to help and lend support while she was in KC and now back in Houston. It has been an enormous relief to her and our family to have the support of everyone who has stepped in and offered a helping hand during a difficult time.
As Lara begins chemo, I will continue to let everyone know how she is doing. I believe that we still have a couple months to go until she is completely healed and I don’t think that anyone will ever fully understand how much our families appreciate all of you and what you have done for us during this time in our life. I don’t think any of us truly understood the magnitude of what this battle would entail, but every day, I am thankful that we are so fortunate to have so many wonderful, generous and thoughtful people out there helping Lara, praying for her and given her the strength and support she needs everyday to continue fighting.
I can never say thank you enough to everyone.
Our love goes out to all of you, best wishes and take care,
Love,
Lara, Mark, Tierney and Paxton
The Dwyer Family’s
The Phelps Family

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!
Lara and Mark would like that I fill you all in on what is going on. Lara is currently at MD Anderson in ICU. She is doing wonderful,however she has just had some complications after the surgery and her doctors are keeping a close eye on her so that we can get her back to health quickly for the holidays.
Basically for almost the last two weeks she has been filling up with fluid in her body. They have done some exploratory surgeries, put in chest tubes and have actually gone in and removed the gortex that they had originally used as the pericardium. Her heart has not moved back to its original position and so by removing the gortex, they are hoping that it will move back and then they can also find the source of the fluid and blood that they have had to continue to drain from her body.
I am sorry if that seems a little vague, but we really don’t have a ton of answers and it is sort of complicated to explain in an email. Basically she keeps filling with fluid and they aren’t for sure why. They know the fluid is a substance called kile, I believe it is a thorasic fluid in the lungs. ( or at least that is what they think it is). Therefore, because of this fluid, Lara will be staying down at MD Anderson with Mark for Thanksgiving.

As far as the future goes, she will have surgery to get the tumor on her 7th vertebrae removed, but we need to get these other issues cleared up first and she needs to become stronger. The previous surgery took quite a toll on her and now we just need to get her strong and as healthy as possible to go in, remove the other tumor and continue chemotherapy and radiation when the time is necessary.
Also for those of you on this email who know my other sister, Carrie, I want you to know that she is currently living at my parents house in Kansas City. About two weeks ago, Carrie was in a bad car accident in New Jersey while she was there on business. Carrie walked away from a very bad accident and she is going to be okay. She did suffer a very severe foot injury and she will be on crotches for three months and have another surgery then, but she is doing great now and is out of the hospital. She returned to KC with my Dad on Tuesday and I know that many of her friends have been by to see her and help out. She is very lucky and we are all glad that she has such great friends who have all jumped in to help take care of her while she begins to get better.
So, I guess all I can say now is that the PHELPS FAMILY can not wait for 2006. I tell you that the new year can’t come fast enough. But really, thank you all for your continued love and support. A battle against cancer is never easy, or I guess that is what I am learning and in Lara’s case, she has had one hell of a battle to deal with daily.
Everyday, I feel lucky to have the support that we receive. Lara and Mark would never survive this if we didn’t have such wonderful friends and family. I ask again as I always do that you please keep praying and that you keep Lara, Mark and their children in your thoughts for the holidays. Lara and Mark want to be in KC more than anything for Christmas, lets all keep praying that they get there and share a great holiday with their kids.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!! Take care and be safe throughout the holiday season. Our families send their love and best wishes out to all of you.
Thanks for the continued support.
Love always,
The Dwyer Families
And
The Phelps Family.

Mark wanted me to send the email below, but Lara wanted a few things added to it.
The surgery was very successful. They did end up removing her left lung, one rib, part of her diaphragm and the sac around her heart. The replaced the part of the diaphragm and the sac with gortex. She is doing well and breathing on her own, no respirator. She will most likely return to Denver sometime mid next week and then recover for about three weeks to a month before she heads back to Houston for chemotherapy and eventually radiation. Her doctors are very positive and yesterday the surgeon told my Mom, Lara has a lot of “grit” (determination, perseverance, courage). For everyone who knows her, this is true and she is stronger now than she has ever been.Please see the rest of Mark’s update below. I am sure that in a few days Mark, Carrie or I will send out another update because I know that many people have been curious as to what has been going on and where we go from here.
Thanks again for your support. Thanks again for your love and support. The Dwyer’s (Mark as well as his parents and sister) and the Phelps’s Families greatly appreciate it
Best wishes to you all.

A note from Mark:

Lara is doing great today. For those of you that may not have heard, the surgery on Friday was a long one, about 6 hours, but a very successful one. The Dr's were pleased with the results. She is still in intensive care for the time being, but we are expecting she will be out either today, or tomorrow. The medical team is wanting to make sure that her pain is completely under control before they more her to a regular room. This seems to have occured over the past 15 hours or so. Yesterday was a bit rougher on Lara, but the Dr's all indicated that this is part of the process. As soon as we get settled into a regular room I will send you guys all another update. Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers. We greatlly appreciate it!

Highlights from yesterday's conversations with Lara (post medication) 1) She thought her head surgeon was a waiter at Cheesecake factory. 2) She asked who was playing Monday Night Football in the snow, then when I looked up, she laughed. She had the TV on a channel that was not coming in. She new this was a joke!3) She asked the nurse to order pizza (she is on an ice-chip diet currently) and told them that she would pay for the pizza, and even split it with the nurse if she would just order it. Again, thank you all so much for your well wishes. I am sorry I have not been able to talk to all of you, but will soon.

Hello everyone. Well all of our prayers have finally been answered. My oncologist and surgeon have scheduled a tentative surgery date for Oct. 4. Yeah! We do not have a lot of details about the surgery because I do not meet with the surgeon until Sept. 28. The good news is that I have just finished another round of chemo and they feel the tumor is ready for surgery. They can not tell me how much the tumor has shrunk or they may not want to, but they are great doctors and they know their stuff and feel it is time to have surgery. I will continue chemo and/or radiation after surgery, but it is a huge step in the right direction and we could not be more excited. (I never thought I would be so excited to say I was having surgery!) We are back in Denver and I am feeling pretty good. We have a couple weddings and a big football game (Chiefs vs. Broncos) before we head back to Houston and we will be enjoying every minute of them, along with the time we get to spend with Tierney and Paxton. I hope all is going well with everyone and you are starting to enjoy the fall weather! Thanks again for all your support and prayers. We could not make it through all this without you. Much love,

The Dwyer Family

Go CHIEFS!

Hello again to everyone, I just got off the phone with Lara and she told me that many people have been curious as to her condition and what has been going on since the last email. I know people have called with questions, so I just thought I would let everyone know what is going on.

Lara is currently in Houston with Carrie and got some new results today. Since my last email in July, she has just been receiving chemo treatments ( I believe 2 of them). Her body is doing very well with the treatments and her doctors are extremely pleased with how well she can handle it. They have begun to give her some stronger doses because they want to continue to shrink the tumor and her doctor said, “That nothing seems to keep her down.” I can tell you from witnessing it, that she is amazing!!

In my last email, we had learned that the tumor is shrinking, today she learned it is still shrinking, but the doctors did not tell her how much or what percentage. Her heart is now back in normal position, which is very good, but the tumor is still a significant size so it up to the surgeon when he wants to operate. Her doctors feel that as long as she can handle the chemo and her body stays strong, then they want to continue treatments because it will provide the best results and the smaller the tumor, the less severe the surgery.

As of right now, it is just a waiting game. As far as we know, she will just keep getting chemo until they say it is time for surgery. She may have 2-4 more rounds, nothing is set in stone. People can have up to 15 rounds. She will be home in Denver this afternoon with Tierney, Paxton, Mark and my Mom. She heads back to Houston on Monday for another round of chemo unless they call and tell her otherwise. The chemo is three week cycles so she goes to Houston for about 10 days and then is back in Denver for about 2 weeks.

Lara is a fighter, as many of you know, and she is staying strong, courageous, positive, and determined every single day. I know she will be happy when they finally decide to operate, but until then she is being good ole Lara and enjoying her family, friends and especially her children, Tierney and Paxton, when she is with them.

I know I probably don’t have to ask, but it means so much to her and our families to please keep Lara in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you all for your continuous care and concern. Lara and our families stay strong because of the daily support and love from all of you. Best wishes to everyone. Have a wonderful and happy Labor Day weekend with your friends and family. Enjoy the end of summer.

Take care and love always,
The Dwyer Families And The Phelps Family

Well, it is time for another update folks, and this time it is a great one!!! Lara wanted you all to hear the news, so here goes…..
I know that some of you have probably spoken to Lara, Mark, my mom, Carrie or some of our other family members, but for those of you who have not heard, Lara’s tumor is shrinking!!!!!
Yesterday morning she had some test that came back extremely positive. Her doctor actually said, “I am PLEASED AS PUNCH with your results.” The tumor is still there and a fairly good size in her stomach, but has shrunk from the enormous mass it once was. The doctor said her lungs are beginning to expand like they should and her breathing is actually getting back to normal.

As you can only imagine, everyone, especially Lara and Mark could not have been happier. Mark said it was the greatest news they could have received and I think it gave them a great sense of relief to finally begin to see an end in sight.
Lara checked back into the hospital yesterday for more chemo, they are adding another chemo to this round because she and her body seem to be handling the treatments very well. She will have one more round after this and possibly a second, but that is not yet determined. She may be able to have surgery as early as September.

All of this could not have been possible without all of your love, prayers, support, card, emails, and friendships. Everyday I am thankful that Lara and Mark have the support system that they do.
Please keep Lara and in your thoughts and prayers as she still continues on the road to recovery. I also ask that you keep all others suffering from cancer in your hearts. I know that many of you have probably had a family member, friend, sister, aunt, cousin, child, etc. suffer from this terrifying disease, but as we are now beginning to realize, the battle can be won and it takes all of your love and thoughts to get through it.
As I said before, thanks will never be enough for all the things that everyone has done for Lara and Mark. You are in hour hearts and prayers everyday too.
Continue to have an excellent summer and take care of yourselves.
Love,
The Dwyer Family (Lara, Mark, Tierney and Paxton)

The Entire Phelps Family, (Mike, Mary Jo, Carrie, Steve, John and Michelle)

Cathy and Dave Dwyer

The Deakin Family (Kristen, Rob, Lauren and Will)

I was with Lara yesterday and let her know that I would send everyone an update.

As of today, Lara should be leaving the hospital after her second round of treatment. Lara will then be going home to Denver tomorrow for a couple of weeks. She will return to Houston for more test and treatments at the end of July. Lara has been extremely strong and has such a wonderful attitude and much of it is due to the love, prayers, and support from friends,family, co-workers, and everyone else. I know Lara and Mark and their family very much appreciate it.

When Lara returns to Houston at the end of the month, Mark and my mom will be staying with me in Houston, therefore the previous address that many of you had for their apartment will no longer be valid. If you are sending something to Houston, please use the new address of: 830 Le Green Houston, TX 77008.

Once again, words can not express the amount of gratitude that Lara, Mark,and their families have for all of the support, cards, e-mails, love, andprayers you have sent Lara's way. Thank you all very much.Take care,Carol C. Phelps

Hello everyone. I wanted to let you all know that I have set up an email address for myself here in Houston. It is larahouston@hotmail.com. Everything is going very well here. Bridget McMeel is out here visiting now and next week my brother John is coming and then our kids are coming out with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. We are looking so forward to having the visitors. I head back to the hospital for my next round of chemo on July 5th. I wanted to send out my email so I can keep in touch with everyone. Hope you all are doing well! Thanks again for all the support! I heard the party is KC was great and a huge success. Thanks again to everyone who attended both the Denver and KC events. We appreciate everything. Love, Lara

Okay, well, this is by far the largest email I have ever sent out. I am sorry if some of you receive it twice, but I tried to take every email address I could find from previous emails and just copied and pasted it all into one. I hope you all understand. I wanted to reach as many people as possible because Lara and Mark wanted an email sent out to friends, neighbors, co-workers and family who have wanted an update.

She did meet with the sarcoma doctor, Dr. Robert Benjamin, in Houston today. The appointment went very well and they are all very fond of the doctor. The new course of action is a stronger, higher dose of chemotherapy, ifosfamide, http://www.cancerbacup.org.uk/Treatments/Chemotherapy/Individualdrugs/Ifosfamide. She will be checking into MD Anderson in the next couple of hours and they will quickly begin these treatments. She will be in the hospital for 5 to 8 days and then have two weeks off. She will be monitored daily on the weeks off to watch all of her vital organs, brain, heart, kidneys, lungs and so forth. This chemo is very strong and will have side effects while she is receiving it, but that is why they will monitor her very closely.

The doctor’s goal is to give her the best quality of life and that is why they will see her everyday to monitor how the chemo affects her body. She will do two rounds of this chemo in three week cycles and then they will do a PET/CT Scan again. They believe that sarcomas respond extremely well to this treatment. After two rounds if the chemo is working, then they continue to do the chemo. They will give her as many rounds as necessary to shrink it before they can operate. They want to find a chemotherapy that will kill the tumor because otherwise it would just come back if they were to operate immediately.

Dr. Benjamin has been working with his team for 25 years and they are the best in the world at this. They are extremely confident that they will shrink the tumor so they can move forward with surgery. Lara and Mark, as well as their families, believe that this treatment is going to work and we will beat this tumor.

Lara and Mark will stay in Houston with my Mom and Carrie for as long as she needs to, we are at least looking at 6 weeks for now, but will mostly likely be up to 4 months. We are fortunate to have another family member who can be in Houston to lend support and love at this time.

Please keep Lara and Mark in your thoughts and prayers. They appreciate everything that everyone is doing and they send their love and thanks to all of you. Everyone’s support has been overwhelming and they will never fully be able to explain in words what it has meant to them. Our families are fortunate to have this unbelievable support system standing beside us.

My love and my thanks go out to all of you who have been supporting them. I see your cards, gifts, meals, letters, flowers, and prayers every single day and it brings tears to my eyes to know that Lara and Mark and their families have so many wonderful, fabulous friends out there. It truly makes you appreciate every friend who has every stepped into your life. Thanks will never be enough!!!!!

Love,
Michelle Phelps

Hello everyone. I know some of you are aware that I had a PET/CT scan this past Friday and we have anxiously been waiting the results to see if the tumor has shrunk. For all you others, you have been so kind sending cards, emails, gifts, meals and leaving messages and I want you to know I really appreciate it and I feel it is only right that I send all of you and update.

Unfortunately, the tumor has not shrunk. In fact, it has increased in size just a little bit. The chemo they have been using is not working very well. It may have killed a few of the cells in the center of the tumor, but that is about it. So you ask, what are our next steps? We are going to try and get into MD Anderson by next week and hoping to meet with the sarcoma doctor and also the surgeon who would remove the tumor. Our guess right now from speaking with the oncologist, is that they will either do a higher dose of chemo for a few rounds or they will move forward with the surgery to remove the tumor.

The good news, I am feeling pretty good besides a little tired at times, but who could not use and afternoon nap everyday? We have also had our kids for the past 10 days and it has been great. Tierney and Paxton are at such fun ages right now. Plus, we are so lucky to be blessed with wonderful, caring family and friends that are helping us get through the challenging time. Hope you all are doing well. We appreciate all the support! Love, Lara