MY LIFE Matters - Spring 2022 - 28

Bone Health RUNNING OUT OF TIME
" The bone health impacts
from my cancer and
cancer treatments
includes increased
fragility, which I have to
be careful about. I was
told not to do risk certain
activities that I love to do
like skiing but was able to
do 5 short runs with my
son this winter which felt
like a miracle. "
Running Out of
Treatment Options
A DISCUSSION WITH LISA LAUDICO
T
28
MY LIFE MATTERS
SPRING 2022
rees have been marked as one of the greatest living things
that connect all mankind. They are often seen as spiritual,
mystical, majestic, prehistoric, symbolic, and are one of the
most widely used natural resources. Central Park is one of
the most iconic city parks in North America and home to
a very special tree that holds memories of many great women whose
lives were cut short from metastatic breast cancer. How special it is to
hear that Lisa Laudico was a part of creating this memorial and often
holds her hand to the tree in memory, reflection, and in celebration of
the legacy of these women as she herself goes in for treatment for the
disease that took their lives.
When I think of a tree I think of strength and stability. When
I have had to rely on crutches, it is the wood in the crutches that
offers me stability to be able to move when I have broken bones. It
is the wood from the trees that makes up the chair I sit on and the
cane I use when I need extra support.
Lisa was diagnosed four years ago
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and became the fourth generation
in her family to be diagnosed with
breast cancer, yet the first to be
diagnosed with stage IV from the
outset. It was this loaded genetic
history that allowed Lisa to start cancer
screenings at age 35, but standard mammograms
and ultrasounds could not detect
the cancer growing inside her. How
did science and technology go backwards
in detecting cancer in a family that was
being screened for this disease?
The cancer had been slowly growing
for years undetected with the use of
regular mammograms and ultrasounds.
An MRI could have detected the cancer
at stage I, stage II or even stage III. Each
of which would have made for a better
prognosis and more treatment options
than being diagnosed with advanced
stage breast cancer (stage IV.) With so
many women with dense breast tissue, it
is a wonder why we don't include more
MRI screenings for breast cancer as it
allows for early cancer detection.
Women like Li sa need to be on
lifesaving medical treatments to survive.
Yet much of the clinical trial criteria
is not set up to accept patients with
advanced cancer who are currently
undergoing treatments. To hear that
a third of metastatic patients are not
eligible for clinical trials is shocking,
especially considering inclusion in a
trial may be their only lifeline.
According to Lisa, women are getting
breast cancer and metastatic breast
cancer at alarmingly rapid rates. The
advocacy action items below showcase
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MY LIFE Matters - Spring 2022

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