Winning the game: After a routine surgery revealed stage 4 cancer, Dee Bisel perseveres

If you’ve ever seen a Granny Basketball game around Lawrence, you’ve likely run into Dee Bisel. At age 74, she’s a staple in this sport that provides competition for women over age 50

“I’ve played Granny Basketball for five years, and I love it,” she said . “I think it brings out the youth in us I also played senior softball until three years ago when I got a concussion and had to quit . ”

But Dee was recently sidelined from the game she loves — and from many other activities — when she got a scary diagnosis after what she thought was going to be a routine hysterectomy: stage 4 colon cancer

Two weeks after her hysterectomy, Dee was wheeled into an operating suite to have 12 inches of her colon removed . Three weeks later in March 2022, she began chemotherapy .

Treatment begins

Dee turned to the team at the LMH Health Cancer Center to get world-class treatment close to home . The center holds official accreditation from the Commission on Cancer, a testament to the high-quality care LMH Health offers patients

“Dee received first-rate, evidence-based cancer care at LMH Health,” said Sherri Soule, MD, an oncologist with the LMH Health Cancer Center “We performed genomic profiling of her tumor to determine the best possible way to treat her specific cancer and incorporated the appropriate immunotherapy into her treatment ”

Dee was able to complete her treatment close to home, which was important for her appointments three times each week

Nearing the finish line

After undergoing 10 rounds of chemotherapy, Dee and her family received the news they’d been so hopeful for The scan was clean

Going forward, Dee’s prognosis is bright Her cancer is treatable, not curable, so her care team has put together a plan for maintenance to allow her to live a full life . She’s already thinking about upcoming vacations

“I’m so happy not to be living day to day and being able to plan a few months out,” Dee said “I’m looking forward to being here and seeing all of my grandkids graduate . ”

If you’ve received a cancer diagnosis, consider some simple advice from Dee: Follow the doctor’s instructions She knows it sounds basic, but don’t add or subtract from the doctor’s recommendations

“I just did exactly what they told me to do, whether I liked it or not,” she said “They’re the coaches and my job was to do what they told me to That’s how we’d win the game ”