A “Real” Bride at Last

Imagine having only two weeks to plan and carry off a dream wedding.

Time is of the essence for Lisa Johnson, a Manchester mother of three teenage girls, who has cancer that has spread from her breast to other parts of her body. Lisa and Steve Johnson will be married 20 years March 18. They had hoped to renew their vows on their anniversary. The first time, they stood before a justice of the peace in a local living room, but Lisa has always wanted a “real” wedding. So when her co-workers at Fred Meyer in Port Orchard learned that her condition had deteriorated and is now life-threatening, they shifted into high gear to give her the wedding of her dreams, set for Valentine’s Day. I’ll be writing about what it took to pull it off for a story set to run that day.

Working through the nonprofit Making Memories, Lisa’s friends are arranging for everything: the service at First Christian Church, flowers, cake … even a designer gown. The organization helps women with metastatic breast cancer realize life-long dreams, but their generosity doesn’t cover everything. The folks at Fred Meyer have done most of the legwork on preparing for the event, and there will likely be costs not covered by Making Memories. So Lisa’s friends have set up an account for her at Washington Mutual. Stop by any branch to make a donation. Mention the Lisa Johnson account.

On a related note, there will be an organizational meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. next Thursday (Feb. 12) at MoonDogs Too, 714 Bay St. in Port Orchard, for anyone interested in taking part in the inaugural Seattle Rock n Roll marathon, a fund-raising event to combat cancer hosted by the Lazarex Cancer Foundation.

For more information on Lazarex:

Susan Sappington
Director of Development
Lazarex Cancer Foundation
www.lazarexfoundation.org <http://www.lazarexfoundation.org>
510-757-5034