Just three months after finding out freshman Lisa Panici had brain cancer, the Whitewater community pulled together.
Led by the volleyball team, hundreds of students and community members came out to watch the UW-Whitewater vs. Elmhurst College benefit game for Lisa.
The event required a $1 admission, and bracelets and T-shirts were on sale. The event raised just over $4,000.
“The dollar and cents are important, but the amount of support and the genuine want to do this; to come out on a rainy Friday night to support in many cases, who many didn’t know, for all the right reasons,” Lisa’s father Mike Panici said. “It means a lot.”
Mary Panici, Lisa’s mother, said that all the sports teams came out to support Lisa, and UW-Whitewater did a good job of advertising this event for not only the school, but for the community as well.
“She likes the work, she loves the game and she loves her teammates,” Mary said. “Her team loves her. They went out there and represented Whitewater very well,” Mary said.
Lisa was introduced with a standing ovation from the audience before the game started, giving the Panici family something to smile about.
“It was a little bittersweet,” Mike said. “It was enjoyable and there were real moments that you forgot why everybody was here. Those little snippets that you get here and there, you need them. It’s okay to laugh, to remember the joy.”
Lisa said the game was fun to watch, but laughed and said, “I wish I was out there, I asked coach [Stacy Boudreau] to put me in at the end.”
Currently, Lisa is taking a break from chemotherapy and has a scheduled appointment this week.
“Lisa is going to be taking a break for a while,” Mike said. “Next week we go in to see how everything is working out and then they re-evaluate the next step.”
Because Lisa has such a positive attitude, she will continue to overcome this cancer.
“She inspires all of us,” her brother Alec said. “She has the best work ethic.”
With many family members by her side, Lisa said that another reason why she has such good motivation is because she has a great support system.
