ABOUT US

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Lisa was born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey in the same home where her grandfather grew up. She lived with her father, Reynold, a meatcutter, her mother, Lorraine, a homemaker, and younger siblings, Anthony and Paula.

 

Lisa attended Trenton State College, now The College of New Jersey, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education and Sociology. Upon graduating, she was hired as a teacher in the Trenton Public Schools and spent 8 years teaching 2nd and 4th grades.

 

In 1997, Lisa married Todd Willever, a firefighter in the Trenton Fire Department. Later that year, she received a contract for her first picture book, The Culprit Was a Fly. By 2000, after the birth of her first two children, Jessica and Patrick, she left teaching to pursue a career writing and visiting schools. Over the next 20 years, she added one more child, Timothy, and 31 more books. She visited hundreds of schools, speaking to over 1,000,000 students and teachers. A strategic alliance with the New Jersey Education Association resulted in Lisa providing over 400,000 free books to teachers and students in New Jersey.

 

In 2015, Lisa and Todd founded the Nicky Fifth Foundation to promote literacy, education, and awareness. Shortly after that she joined the Board of Trustees for the renowned Old Barracks Museum and is currently the Board President.

 

On May 4, 2022, Todd received devastating news.He was diagnosed with the most lethal Grade 4 malignant brain cancer, Glioblastoma, or GBM. Shortly after his brain surgery and release from the hospital, Todd started the Standard of Care (SOC) which was radiation and chemotherapy at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. About this time, Lisa read several articles about a treatment at UCLA called DCVax-L and Todd became a patient at both hospitals. 

 

In August 2024, after being stable for a remarkable 29 months, an MRI detected a recurrence. In October 2024, with no SOC for a recurring GBM, Todd and Lisa drove from New Jersey to California for the chance to enroll in the DCVAX trial. After several screenings, he was deemed eligible and enrolled in the trial. Dr. Linda Liau will remove his tumor during surgery and UCLA will create a personalized, non-toxic vaccine. The family is optimistic that this incredible immunotherapy will provide Todd with decades of good health and no side effects.