Star Walk of Fame

Emily Hochstedler
Coon Rapids, Mn

Honored by Lisa Hochstedler

A nurse and single mother, Lisa Hochstedler has dedicated her life to caring for others. Last October, the woman who family members describe as a “go-getter” discovered she had Stage 3a Breast cancer at the age of 40. It may come as no surprise that being the patient was quite a role-reversal for her. Determined to help this go-getter going, her family, friends and fellow-nurses rallied around her. Her parents moved up from Texas to stay with her during her first month of surgeries and treatments. She worked closely with her hospital’s Breast Health nurse to maximize her treatment plan. Upon one of her first visits with the nurse, Lisa was given 7 necklaces each with a letter spelling our J-O-U-R-N-E-Y. She gave each one to a caregiver, affectionately calling them her “Journey Girls.” Among her “Journey Girls” and this month’s Star of the Month is Lisa’s 10 year-old daughter Emily Hochstedler. “She would make me dinner and get me a cup of tea each night before bed,” says Lisa. “She was the reason I would get out of bed each day thus making me stronger. She was my reason for beating cancer and she helped me more than she will ever know.” Emily will be going into the fifth grade this year and says that the best thing about being a caregiver is seeing her mom get better. She attributes her mom’s recovery to her house specialty of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with tea. Her advice to other caregiving kids--“Don’t give up--- it can get better!”