Lizz Strong - Fighting Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer

08/21/2025

💗💗💗 Let’s remind her of not only her outward beauty, but inward, and her strength! 💗💗💗

From Lizz:

Cancer changes people. It sculpts you into someone who understands more deeply, listens more intently, hurts more often, appreciates more daily, cries more easily, hopes more desperately, loves more openly, and lives more passionately.

Cancer is also trauma. It is painful. It is scary. It is life changing. Each person on their cancer journey will look different too.

I get that a lot. The compliments and how good I look and I can’t tell you all how fortunate I am. The modern medicine with my treatment to help me from getting sick is so helpful. It’s not that I don’t love the compliments, because I whole heartedly do but lately the compliments mean a little less to me. I miss the old Lizz that would receive compliments on how my eyelashes were so thick they looked false, or how beautiful my hair was because I keep it natural and leave my subtle grays or how my eyebrows looked so perfect. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the new compliments on my appearance now but to me they are different now. They are for the sick Lizz and not the old Lizz. I have been missing the old Lizz a lot lately. She had so much energy, was a little more fearless with a fresh horse, could stay up late watching Harry Potter and still wake up at 5 feeling refreshed. She didn’t have to stretch out slowly in the mornings, or walk slow and take breaks because she was out of breath, she ran freely, kept up with the fast pace walkers, and went all day plus some before sitting down at night. I’m just not used to this new Lizz and it’s been getting to me lately. I do appreciate her a lot though, like I said at the beginning, cancer changes a person and I feel like a different person who really does have all the emotions. I’m stronger than I thought not physically but emotionally and mentally, I’m better at either openly crying or holding it back because of sheer awe, I laugh more often at my kids whether they are having a meltdown or just being down right silly, I offer to help more because I genuinely care about making people feel loved, and I don’t take for granted a good hug from anyone.

Cancer is no match for the grace of God and lately I think He has been trying to reach out to me and make me realize that I am not alone. Sometimes it’s just really hard to listen to Him when it’s not just a txt on my phone or a card in the mail. I am glad I am not alone. I have Tanner and my kids, my family and Tanners, and so so many people far and wide not letting me forget that they are there supporting me. Thank you everyone for loving the old Lizz and still supporting, loving and fighting for the new Lizz ♥️m

08/01/2025

From Lizz - 🌸🌸🌸

My family is so grateful for the little things, the big things and everything in between. Our gratitude can’t even be fully expressed to how last Friday went. Standing there in awe and seeing all the people that showed up for us was truly amazing and filled our hearts with so much joy. Everyday God shows and gives us something to be thankful for. Whether it’s a packed Greencreek Hall, the air in our lungs, or the feeling of riding your best horse. Gratitude doesn’t have to be grand- it’s in the little moments that make this life so beautiful. Being there with all of you Friday was one of those times, embracing moments like that gives us endless reasons to see and feel that we are blessed.

Treatment this week went good. I still have low number counts but in my books I am doing good. I have one more cycle left 🙌🏽 and then we go to the next step in my treatment.

I do get asked a lot still if there are things people can do for us and the only one that comes to mind right now is praying for mental strength. I don’t like to let myself get weak especially in the mind along this journey but sometimes I have some dark days and they definitely are not fun. So, if you are needing to offer up any prayers it is all I ask ♥️

This letter below is from Tanner. 🩷

07/25/2025

Tonight is THE night!!! 💖🌸💕 Come out to show your support for Lizz and Tanner!

Details 👇🏼

We are SOLD OUT of dinner tickets! 🎟️

However, everyone is invited to attend the live auction starting at 7. The bar will be in full swing and live music with Vintage Youth will follow beginning at 9pm. 🎸

We know it’s a busy season, especially for our agriculture community with harvest in full swing—but some moments are bigger than the work at hand. This is one of those moments. 🩷

Lizz Higgins and her parents Eric & Joyce Forsmann have always been there for others when they needed a helping hand. Now, it’s our turn to show up for her. Let’s stand together and support Lizz in her fight against breast cancer.

Our community is built on strength, generosity, and looking out for one another. That’s what makes this such a special place to live—and why showing up matters. Someday, it might be us who needs that same love and support, and we know this community will rise to the occasion.

Come enjoy good company, some awesome auction items, and the chance to make a real difference in someone’s life. Let’s remind Lizz—and ourselves—what it means to be part of this incredible community.

💗 Your presence matters. Let’s fill the room with love and support for Lizz!

07/15/2025

💥📣Last call for tickets! 🎟️

Only 70 tickets left for this amazing benefit for Lizz and Tanner! You guys, this is RIGHT around the corner. 💨 July 25th will be here before we know it and you don’t want to miss this event!

Tickets can be conveniently purchased at CCFCU in Grangeville, Cottonwood, or Nezperce. 🎟️

Come enjoy live music, auctions, and a delicious dinner to show your love and support for Lizz!

💃🎤🍽️🎶

07/10/2025

💥📣Lizz Update as of Yesterday!📣💥

Matthew 11:28

“I will not overthink. I will not worry. I will not stress out. I will rest tonight”.

God knows everything about me. He knows I am tired, that I stress and worry, but he knows I am doing my best. I am staying strong for Tanner and our kids, my parents, my in-laws, both our families and most importantly myself. I do not know what the future holds for me but God does. He sees me. He knows me and my strengths and weaknesses. He sees me fighting, trying, crying, not giving up, and continuing on even when I don’t want to on some days. He is making a way for me and showing me that he still has a plan for me and that my story isn’t over.

Today I had my PET scan and made it through that, so that alone to me is a huge win!! 🏆

For anyone who didn’t know, from my first PET scan results I had cancer lesions on my chest wall, breast, lymph nodes, armpit, multiple bone lesions on my spine, pelvic, and arm bones, and on my liver. My results today are showing around 75% of cancer cleared out! Here I am tonight thinking to myself “God is listening to my (and everyone else’s) prayers. It is now and happening” and I am just ever so grateful this evening.

🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

07/03/2025

Another awesome way to support Lizz! 🩷🧵🪡

Next week July 7th - July 12th we are pink for Lizz. Come in or shop online and 20% of sales will go to support Lizz Higgins in her fight against breast cancer.

Whether you’re picking out fabric for a new project, fabric to finish an old project, purchasing gift for that special quilter in your life, your purchase helps show love and support for Lizz and her family. 💕💗🩷💞

When you come in and shop wear pink to show your support and you will be entered into a drawing for a gift basket valued over $200!!!

07/03/2025

From Lizz this evening 🩷

We are appreciating all the prayers from everyone ♥️ unfortunately I wasn’t able to do my PET scan today so it is rescheduled for next Wednesday.

I did still have immunotherapy and chemotherapy today and it went good. I am drained tonight emotionally and physically but still a good day, especially since Tanner and Mary surprised me with ice cream! All my numbers are looking good and staying good so far with small changes on some but nothing major or of concern at the moment. My oncologist is very excited about my PET scan as we called it “my progress report”. We wished my PET scan could have happened today, my oncologist called me a “survivor”.

Praying next week brings on good news and a promising outlook! ♥️

06/19/2025

Patience. I need to remember this virtue. I sat in the infusion room today, in my chair, looking around and all I could think about was getting out of there. I wanted to be done with my treatment today and I wanted to be done with this cycle and I definitely want to beat this so I can be done essentially. But all I could think about was patience. Have patience. Why am I rushing when I need to settle and heal my body. It is really hard for me, for if you know me I’m a work 8 hour day come home and be up until 9-10 at night doing everything and anything at my house and still getting up at 5 the next morning for the new day. I want to be done with treatments. I want to be healed but tonight as I sit on the couch typing this update I’m feeling extremely drained more than normal and just not myself unfortunately. I think I mentally got myself in a rush today that I tuckered myself out by accident. So, for any prayers needed I’m only asking for extra patience bestowed upon me. I got this. My prayer warriors got this. God has got this. Why rush when God has all the time in the world for me 🩷

06/13/2025

There are so many ways, even more than this, that our prairie community is supporting Lizz in her fight against cancer! 🌸💖 We have the best people around!

Mark your calendar for these fun, upcoming events! 📆🎀🩷🍿🎬💐🌷🔫🥗🍝🍴

Lizz and Tanner, the Forsmann family, and the Higgins family all want to express our sincere gratitude to you all for being here and for the massive amount of prayer going up to our Heavenly Father! 🙏🏼

06/12/2025

✨Lizz Update! ✨

“Exceeding expectations”

My oncologist today used this phrase with how I am looking, and how little symptoms I am having from the chemotherapy and immunotherapy. He said symptoms are unfortunately a good sign because that means the drugs are working, so don’t think if you see me in the grocery store shopping, looking good, that I don’t have bad days. Those days I stay at home and rest as much as possible and avoid all people.

Since I am responding so well we are moving my PET scan up to see where all the cancer still remains. My first scan showed cancer on my chest wall, breast, armpit, right arm, spine in 3 places, pelvic bones, and liver. I am very anxious to see those results. Prayers that it comes back with less spots throughout my body 🤞🏽🙏🏽

I am still giving all the glory to God though and all the prayers from my prayer warriors helping heal me ♥️

06/03/2025

From Lizz

“I love that the doctors office says I need to show up 15 before my appointment so they don’t get behind yet they don’t get to me for almost 3 hours past my appointment time 😆

Yesterday went so good! Got to St Joes, got checked in and then just waited to be taken back to get my drain from my lung removed. Nurses were remembering me from last month when I got it in and amazed with how I looked now compared to before! My anesthesiologist remembered me also because I was in so much pain the last time that he had even looked into a second medicine to help me this time just in case. He came beforehand to talk to me and ask me about my pain and when I told him I had none he was amazed!

Surgery to get my drain out went smoothly, it took about an hour total and I can’t tell you how nice it feels to get it out! Super excited to close that chapter of my treatment. Fingers crossed the only time I should see the staff again would be to one day get my port a cath out 🙌🏽

Thank you guys for all the continued prayers! If you have room to squeeze in another one think of little Boogy too! 🧡”