At 25 years old, just beginning her adult life, Liza discovered a lump in her breast. Surrounded by doctors who were sure it was harmless, she expected reassurance. Instead, the pathology revealed the devastating news that it was cancer. Within weeks, she had a mastectomy with reconstruction and started six long months of chemotherapy.
Every cancer survivor’s story involves research. Without it, the treatments that saved our lives would not have been possible. For me, research not only gave me time, it gave my daughters the knowledge to protect their futures.
That diagnosis set her on a new path. Determined to make something positive from her experience, she helped launch a support group for young survivors in Dallas and later went to law school to focus on survivorship policy. But her journey was far from over. Just five years later, cancer returned. A lump appeared in her other breast, and she had to fight all over again.
Research has always been at the center of Liza’s story. The discovery of the BRCA genetic mutations gave doctors new insight into her disease, and while it came too late to change her own treatment, it changed everything for her daughters. Because they knew they carried the mutation, they were able to undergo preventive surgeries to protect their futures.
For Liza, research has meant more than her own survival. It has given her daughters the chance to live without the same fear she faced at 25 years old.