Dec. 9, 2013 is a day Lisa Echols, a neonatal intensive care unit technician at Baptist Women’s Hospital, will never forget. She scheduled a doctor’s appointment at 7:45 that morning for her annual mammogram.
Lisa had mammograms every year with no problems. She was dedicated to making sure she went to get her checkups every year.
“As women, it’s in our nature to take care of others,” said Lisa. “We get so caught up in being caregivers to others and forget or put off getting our annual mammograms and Pap smears. It is best that we as women put our own health matters first and foremost.”
This check-in was different. As Lisa entered the radiologist’s office she could feel a weight on her spirit. At that moment, she knew.
“We need you to come back in tomorrow for a biopsy,” the radiologist said. “OK,” Lisa replied in a soft tone.
Lisa immediately called her husband and a close colleague, Blenna Williams. She had no family history of breast cancer. The next day she went back in, this time with Blenna, her support person. It took 24 hours for them to get the results and tell her the daunting news. Lisa was shocked.
“When they told me I had breast cancer, I knew it wasn’t just cancer. It was a test I had to take. A test I had to go through,” said Lisa. “I just wanted my family to be a part of this test because I couldn’t take it by myself.”
She was somewhere between stage one and two of breast cancer. The tumor was the size of a quarter. She immediately called her husband and later that day told her daughter and son. She wanted her family to know that she was going to fight and fight very hard. She made sure that each of her family members played a part in this test that she had to take. She assigned jobs to each family member to keep the family pushing forward and involved.
Her time in the medical field meant she knew the process of fighting this cancer. Lisa was determined not only to beat this breast cancer but to grow stronger spiritually. Lisa would meditate on healing scriptures every day.
Lisa has a big personality. She is well known in the NICU and in other parts of the hospital. When the news spread that she had cancer, her NICU family rallied around her to support her as a team member and a friend. Catrina Pearson, a unit coordinator, helped to make sure Lisa made it to all her appointments; someone cooked meals for her family on Lisa’s “bad chemo” days, when she had to take three bags of IV treatment; and others sent encouraging cards throughout her treatment.
“I never felt alone, weak, depressed or anything like that because I knew in my heart who had my back,” said Lisa. “I fought all the way because God has surrounded me with a group of angels right here at work.”
Throughout her treatment she continued to stay active. Blenna would go with her once or twice a month on her “bad chemo” days. Lisa would rest the remainder of the day and go back on Fridays, when she received a shot to help boost her immunity. Her husband would then take her to lunch, dinner or the mall just to be normal before she started not feeling like herself.
“I was never a home body, so, I appreciated my husband for keeping me active and not feeling like I was sick. It made our relationship grow stronger,” said Lisa.
After a few days at home, Lisa returned to work to be a servant to “God’s little angels” in the NICU. Work was her therapy and her connection to her support group.
Lisa said, “I would go to work to laugh and to show people that I was still bold and beautiful with my bald head. My bald head was a reminder of how important good health is. I never wanted anyone to feel pity for me, but to see me and be inspired to stay healthy.”
A month after her last treatment, she opted to have a double mastectomy. She had the procedure in the summer of 2014. After surgery, recovery was hard; her husband and her children would have to lift her and help her around the house.
She recently returned to work to continue inspiring and educating her peers about how important it is to get a mammogram every year. She is a survivor and advocate for women’s health.
“I have so much life to appreciate, big things and small,” Lisa said. “In my future, I see my kids all grown up and having kids of their own. That’s invaluable. Life is invaluable.”
Lisa recently shared her story on a national radio show called “The Takeaway.” You can hear the interview here.
http://www.thetakeaway.org/story/under-her-skin-meet-lisa-echols/