SANTEE - Making memories with family and friends is what Orangeburg County Clerk of Court Lisa Mizell will be doing as 2008 comes to a close.

Thanks to the Oregon-based Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation, which has a warehouse outlet store at the Santee Outlets Mall, Mizell, who has Stage 4 breast cancer, will be accompanied by her entire family and some of her friends on an after-Christmas trip to the nation's capitol.

The Making Memories Breast Cancer Shop, which is operated by Eastern Division Director Barbara Raskin and assistant Betty Rohn, has a primary fund-raising branch called Brides Against Breast Cancer. The Santee shop accepts thousands of donated new and gently-used designer bridal gowns and sells them to brides at exceptional savings over retail prices. Gown sales events are also held in major cities across the country. Personnel from the Santee shop travel with hundreds of gowns to the shows in a large truck and are warmly received by prospective brides. All proceeds go towards granting wishes to Stage 4 breast cancer patients.

"The fulfillment of the recipient's wishes helps put the realities of this devastating illness aside, if just for a few days, while providing the opportunity for a family to spend quality time together," Raskin said.

Wishes, which have ranged from exotic vacations to home improvements, have been granted to breast cancer patients from all over the United States. Several years ago, a Charleston woman was the recipient of a wish.

Lisa Mizell was contacted by Betty Rohn after Rohn read about her in the newspapers. At first, Mizell was not interested.

"I'm not going to die anytime soon," she told Rohn. After Rohn explained how the wish granting program works, Mizell agreed to participate and asked for her wish to be granted..

"When I was about 11 or 12, my whole family took a trip to Washington, D.C. The Smithsonian Institution and the Arlington National Cemetery have always stood out in my mind," she said. "My wish is to return to Washington with my family and experience other fascinating aspects of the city, so that we can make lasting memories of our own."

Mizell, 43, is married to Barry Mizell and they have two daughters, Megan, 19, and Rebecca, 15. Mizell was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2008.

"I found a substantial lump in my breast, which I did not have checked right away because it was in the middle of my run for re-election," she said. "After the election, I developed severe neck pain because the cancer had spread to my bones." Mizell's doctors were very concerned and insisted on immediate follow-up. She is being treated at the Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Mizell and her party of relatives and friends will travel to Washington, D.C. in a chartered, 15-passenger van. "I haven't been on vacation in seven years," she said. "I'm so excited I'm about to bust, and I'm delighted to have this opportunity for my family."

Carolyn Hutto, Lisa's mother, who will be part of the group accompanying her daughter to Washington, is grateful to Making Memories for everything they are doing for Lisa. "The anticipation of this trip has been so inspiring and beneficial to my daughter," she said.

The group will go on a private tour of Washington and will be seeing the National Cathedral, Smithsonian Institution, Arlington National Cemetery and the Holocaust Museum, in addition to many other attractions.

"We always plan our vacations around where we're going to eat," Mizell said. "I'm looking forward to eating at an authentic restaurant in Chinatown where you can watch them making the noodles through a window."

Mizell also plans to pack her "special pillow" which she has slept on for many years. "I don't want everyone to see me coming into the hotel holding my pillow," she said, laughing.

It is estimated that this year alone more than 200,000 women and nearly 1,200 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer. In the United States, every 12 minutes one woman dies and five are diagnosed with breast cancer. In fact, breast cancer is the number one killer of women between the ages of 15 and 54.

Raskin said the tragedy of this illness, as with any serious disease, is not limited to the physical and emotional impact.

"In many cases, an enormous financial strain is placed on the family, and the staggering cost of treatment must be paid, all the while hoping to buy time until a cure is found," she said. "When the insurance is exhausted and the hospitals are paid, there is often no money left for extras. This means that many families cannot afford special moments that might lift spirits and ease the turmoil of saying goodbye."

Mizell is touched by the compassion and generosity of many local residents.

"The Hot Spot in Holly Hill presented me with a gift card for gasoline for the trip, and the Holly Hill Piggly Wiggly is donating drinks and snacks for our road trip," she said.

Mizell's daughters are thrilled at the prospect of attending a concert by their favorite rapper, Little Wayne, at the Verizon Center, courtesy of the Center.

Mizell's faith and optimistic attitude are an inspiration to everyone who knows her. When asked how she is doing, she replied, "Fine. I'm not sick; I just have cancer."

T&D Correspondent Shirley Upton can be reached by e-mail at writer@ntinet.com. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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