My name is Lisa Price. My husband Nate and I just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. In 1998, we built a house on 11 acres north of Lowell. We have 2 beautiful girls, Natalie and Mallory, who graduated from Lowell Schools and have continued to GVSU for their degrees. We also have 3 German Shepherds who are spoiled rotten.
My grandmother and mother were both survivors of breast cancer, so the chance that I might get it has always been in the back of my mind.
In September 2020, my mom and stepdad, who lived in Florida, needed help. My stepdad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and my mom took a bad fall, which landed her in the ER. That is when they found a couple of spots on her lungs, which turned out to be metastatic breast cancer - 20 years after her initial diagnosis. They could not live alone anymore, so my stepbrother and I took turns flying to Florida every 2-3 weeks to live with them.
In April 2021, my mom and stepdad both contracted COVID. My stepdad got through it, but my Mom ended up on a ventilator. I had to make the heartbreaking decision to take her off of life support, and she passed with me by her side.
In August 2022, something suspicious showed up on my yearly mammogram. My healthcare team thought it was just a cyst and initially wanted to watch it for six months. With my family history, I insisted on a biopsy. Thankfully, the biopsy showed it was a benign cyst. They scheduled me to come back in six months to recheck. In February 2023, my six-month follow-up mammogram was clear. They wanted me back again in six months. Why? It was clear.
I returned in August 2023, and this time they found something. They ordered another biopsy. I thought it was that same cyst again. When they said it was on the opposite side of my breast, I was scared.
Two days later, the results came back as Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. Cancer. It’s actually happening. I really need my mom more than ever right now.
A week later, I met with the specialty team at Lemmon Holton Cancer Pavilion and found out it was Stage 1B, Grade 3, Triple Negative. It is one of the most aggressive and fastest-growing breast cancers, but they found it early. It wasn’t detectable in February, but it measured 1.1 cm by August. I thank God for that second 6 month screening.
The plan was to remove the tumor and see if it had traveled to my lymph nodes. I would undergo five months of aggressive chemotherapy and one month of radiation to clean up any leftover cancer cells.
It was at this meeting that the reality of my diagnosis really hit me. The thought of losing all my hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, and possibly both breasts was overwhelming. Would I ever be the same?
I was in surgery one week later for my lumpectomy and sentinel lymph node removal. My surgeon removed the whole tumor with clear margins, and there was no lymph node involvement. The cancer had not spread anywhere else.
Because of my history, I qualified for genetic testing and found that I did not have the BRCA gene. I did not have to lose my breasts, and my girls didn’t have to worry about having the gene.
The next step was chemotherapy, and with that came losing my hair. I had been trying to grow my hair for 20 years, and it was finally down to the middle of my back. I would never have hair that long again. My oldest daughter offered to have her hair cut short with me so I could get used to short hair before I lost it all.
Right after my lumpectomy, my stepdad's health declined, and I had to arrange hospice care. After three years of caring for him, I was stressed about not being there when he needed me most. Meanwhile, my daughter was hospitalized with a severe infection. Just a week after surgery, I found myself sleeping in a hospital recliner next to her while coordinating hospice for my stepdad in Florida. I thank God for her boyfriend, Logan, who took turns with me at the hospital so I could get some rest.
Ten days after surgery, my oncologist gave me a two-week window to visit my stepdad in Florida before starting chemo. I flew down the next day, spent his final days with him, handled his arrangements, closed his condo, and drove back to Michigan with his dog. I returned just in time for my echocardiogram, pre-op testing, and port placement to start chemo that week. I thank God for the perfect timing.
Chemo started the first week of October 2023. I had four treatments of AC (Red Devil) every two weeks and then 12 weekly treatments of Taxol - 16 treatments in all. I started losing my hair the day after my second treatment, so I had my husband shave my head.
I only told close family and a few friends about the cancer. I work from home, so no one at work knew except my boss and a couple of coworkers. I needed time to wrap my head around it and get a plan to fight it before I let the fears and worries of others invade my thoughts. Aside from many side effects, fatigue, and getting COVID-19, I made it through all my treatments. Thank you to my husband Nate, daughter Natalie, brother and sister-in-law Bruce and Kathy Gilgallon, and college friend Robin Ballard for taking the time to drive me to treatment.
By February 2024, I was running into friends who had no idea I was battling cancer. The look of shock on their face, not knowing what to say or simply not talking to me, was upsetting. I was still the same person, and I felt awful that they were treating me differently. I decided it was time to share my story on Facebook. All the pictures have long hair, short hair, shaved hair, and no hair. Maybe I could encourage or inspire someone else going through the same situation.
I received tons of support and reconnected with a long-lost friend who was just diagnosed with the same cancer and had the same oncologist. I immediately offered to take her to all her treatments. The next week, I was back at the cancer center, not as a patient but as a visitor, reconnecting with the nurses and staff who cared for me. While supporting my friend, I met another woman battling breast cancer, and we've since become good friends, and I continue to help her through her treatments.
After chemo, I started radiation every day for four weeks. On April 15, 2024, my treatment was finally done! My daughter Mallory had the honor of taking me to the finale — getting my port removed on May 3, 2024.
On Aug 2, 2024, I had my first follow-up mammogram and it was all clear. No cancer!
Some things I’ve learned from this experience:
The doctors and staff at Lemmon Holton Cancer Pavilion are excellent and make you feel like you are their only patient.
Google is your enemy, stay off it.
You will have moments where your thoughts can get really dark about your future. You will go there, but don’t stay there.
Stay positive, Speak positive. Instead of telling people I have a 10% chance it could come back, I say I have a 90% chance it won’t come back.
Live life now; don’t put it off. Tomorrow is not promised.
Don’t hide your journey. Make it worthwhile by sharing it to help and encourage others. A friend pointed out that my words held more weight with people. Use those words to help others and let your light shine into their darkness.
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