I’m Metastatic, Now What?

Lisa-Ann has been a cancer caregiver and is a hospice care advocate. Through her work as an End of Life Doula, she has seen firsthand the impact hospice care has on individuals living with metastatic disease. Comfort care is the best tool to increase the quality of life for the individual living with the disease to their loved ones. 

Lisa is an INELDA trained End of Life Doula, a field coordinator with the National Breast Cancer Coalition, a community health worker for the Breast and Cervical Cancer Program with the Georgia Department of Public Health. She is also a 2nd-year seminary student.

Sarah currently works for Prospero Health, a palliative consult of United Healthcare. She has worked as a palliative social worker for Crouse Hospital for five years. Sarah previously worked for Hospice of CNY as a discharge planning social worker, and child and family bereavement counselor. In the past, Sarah led a support group for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She has also directed a week-long children’s bereavement camp.

Cynthia earned a Mechanical Engineering degree and then enjoyed 7 or 8 different careers, some engineering-related and some not, before retiring in May 2020. She owned her sandwich shop and catering company. She has travelled all over the world, including Antarctica, for technical training. Her last career was traditional teaching. She loved teaching 6th-grade science as a way of helping to develop the next generation of STEM-focused students. She has always been physically active as an adult. Cynthia has also coached runners and triathletes. She qualified and ran the Boston Marathon in 2007. Her triathlon team became her family as she coached and competed in triathlons, including one full Ironman triathlon in 2009.

As COVID-19 came on the scene, Cynthia was being diagnosed with de novo metastatic breast cancer. Luckily, she had already enjoyed a long and fulfilling work life and was in a position to retire. Retirement and her technical background have allowed her to take on the steep learning curve of dealing with Stage IV cancer. She is a strong advocate for cancer patients to be sure they have the right medical team that fits the individual and has experience with their specific kind of cancer in place. Cynthia believes this will give the patient the best chance to have the best quality of life for the longest time. She believes staying healthy through diet, exercise, and minimizing stress is important. Cynthia still enjoys running, hiking, weight training, volunteer work, and traveling.

Brad helps people thrive. 

At the University of Texas at Austin, he serves as University Distinguished Teaching Professor. His work mainly focuses on improving the quality of life for young adults affected by cancer. In particular, his research focuses on boosting access to mental health, social, and informational support. Brad’s projects have been supported by MD Anderson Cancer Center, the Livestrong Foundation, the American Cancer Society, and others.