Spotlight | Inspirational stories |
Source: coloncancercoalition.org
Battle of a Lifetime Lisa Issa discusses what she learned from her experience with colon cancer
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isa Issa—yes it rhymes, she says jokingly—is a 34-yearold school aide, mother to her 9-year-old son, Carter, and wife to her high school sweetheart, Chris. She grew up as the oldest in a family of five and still lives near many of her family members, seeing them often. In April 2012, her life was just as she expected, caring for her young son. That changed when she was diagnosed with cancer in her colon, lymph nodes, and liver, despite a lack of family history of the disease. Over the next two years, Lisa fought an exhausting battle against cancer; however, she came out the other side in remission as a survivor. In this interview with PE GI Journal, Lisa opens up about the experience, her feelings, what advice she has for others in a similar position, and more.
Melissa Landis (ML): Can you tell me a little bit about your overall journey with colon cancer? Lisa Issa (LI): Overall, I can say it was successful. I made it. The journey itself was long and exhausting, but there were some pretty magical moments along the way. A cancer diag-
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nosis can bring out the best in the people around you, and I can’t explain the love I felt coming at me from all directions. I felt scared a lot, too, though. It was like staring down the barrel of a gun for two years, and then, slowly the gun was put down. I don’t feel free of the fear entirely, but I’m much more at peace with my new normal.
ML: How was the cancer initially detected? Were there any signs that alerted you to the issue? What made you go to the doctor? LI: I skipped over my family doctor and went straight to a gastroenterologist to talk about my concerns. I was having a lot of bleeding when I went to the bathroom, was going more than normal, and was extremely fatigued. These symptoms had been going on for a few years, but really accelerated after I had my son. When we decided to start trying for another baby, I wanted to just get myself checked out to make sure I was healthy. It’s funny how you suddenly start caring more about your health when you have people depending on you.
