You Never Know What Someone Has Been Through
Every day we walk past people, and we don’t know anything about them. What was their morning like? Are they worried about something? How have they changed in the last 10 years? What advice would they give?
As we leave Breast Cancer Awareness Month behind and enter Lung Cancer Awareness Month, our Human Resources Director, Lori Ziegler Halt, suggested that Lisa’s story would be an inspirational one to share. And she was right…
You might not know that Lisa Donahue, who works in our Human Resources Department, has survived Breast Cancer. In Rhode Island one out of 6 people are diagnosed with Breast Cancer, and Lisa is one. You very likely know someone with this diagnosis. The good news is that Breast Cancer deaths in the United States have dropped by 44% since 1989, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. But, Can you believe this? Lisa has survived Lung Cancer too! Rhode Island ranks first among all states for screening high risk individuals and shows a 61% rate of new lung cancer cases, which is higher than the national average. This is according to the American Lung Cancer Association.
When Lisa was diagnosed, it was completely unexpected and the result of a routine mammogram. Her lung cancer was discovered twice with two different screening tests… both times it was completely unexpected. Lisa will tell everyone, get your screenings. Even though it’s an inconvenience, it is for the best.
Resolve, Courage and Hard Decisions
Following a routine mammogram, Lisa was called back to have a second test to double check… and then an MRI and a biopsy. By that time, she knew there was something there. Lisa tells me that she had no history in her family of breast cancer, so this was really out of the blue. But she did know women who had not survived in the very circle of classmates she had growing up. This put a terrifying fear in her. She resolved to do all she could to survive and the decisions she had to make were not easy. In February 2014, Lisa underwent a bilateral mastectomy, followed by multiple surgeries to fully recover. Lisa says she is happy to be here.
Two years later, a routine Echocardiogram heart test showed that she had a spot in her lung. Lisa was incredulous. “What do you mean? I’m here for my heart!” After a biopsy, Lisa underwent surgery at Dana Farber to remove the cancer from her right lung. The same happened again in 2018 when cancer was discovered in her left lung.
Lisa gets a scan every year, right about this time, waiting to hear what the verdict is. “Am I cancer free?” Do you ever get over this kind of trauma? Lisa leans on the support of her family. She is an inspiration to anyone living with the unexpected and is happy to talk with anyone who may be facing similar traumatic events in their life, or in the life of someone they know.
We are happy Lisa is here too.
Lisa carried the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Foundation torch in 2014 and again at her 10-year survival anniversary in 2024. “I’m here today because of my screenings. I smile every day!”