Lisa Hardy focuses on reasons to feel blessed rather than on the challenges of the past two years and those she has yet to face in the coming months.  She is grateful for her family who has provided support through her ongoing battle with breast cancer and the loss of her husband, Jim, in 2020.  She also is appreciative of the team of healthcare professionals, including staff at Licking Memorial Health Systems (LMHS), who continue to assist her through treatments.  

Lisa’s breast cancer diagnosis came as a complete shock.  When she discovered the lump in her breast in May 2021, she was not overly concerned because she had experienced similar lumps that were found to be benign cysts.  Lisa made an appointment to visit her obstetrician and gynecologist, Janae M. Davis, M.D., of Licking Memorial Women’s Health – Downtown Newark.  Dr. Davis ordered a mammogram to determine the nature of the lump.  After the mammogram and an ultrasound confirmed the lump was a tumor, Lisa underwent a biopsy and was informed she had triple negative breast cancer in June.  Dr. Davis suggested that Lisa meet with an oncologist to begin treatments.
 
“I started talking with people I knew about which healthcare provider to visit, and a friend recommended Oncologist D’Anna Mullins, M.D., of Licking Memorial Hematology/Oncology,” Lisa said.  “The very first visit with her, I felt instantly comfortable and confident that she was the right provider.”

Dr. Mullins suggested Lisa receive four cycles of AC chemotherapy to contain the spread of the cancer beyond the breast.  AC is a combination of two chemotherapy medications, doxorubicin, also known as Adriamycin, and cyclophosphamide.  The chemotherapy drugs interfere with cancer cell development and growth by preventing the cancer cells from dividing and multiplying.  In addition to the AC chemotherapy, Lisa also received 12 cycles of paclitaxel – another chemotherapy medication used to interfere with the cancer cell growth.  

“I was told this type of chemotherapy is very aggressive, and I would likely experience side effects such as nausea or vomiting, but I never did,” Lisa shared.  “I was very lucky.  I felt fatigued, but I never once felt ill or weak after a treatment.”

Lisa visited the Oncology Clinic at Licking Memorial Hospital (LMH) to receive her treatments.  “The staff is absolutely wonderful,” Lisa said.  “They were kind and supportive, and would get excited with me when the results from my blood tests confirmed my white blood cell count was adequate enough to receive treatment.”  Oftentimes, the chemotherapy medications temporarily cause a drop in the number of white blood cells in the body.  When the number is too low, treatment must be delayed.  “I did not want any delays.  I just wanted to receive my treatments, complete them all, and move on to the next step.  By the grace of God, I received all but one of my treatments on time and never had to be hospitalized.”

As she underwent her treatments, Lisa continued contract work as a Sourcing Specialist at Owens Corning.  Lisa began working for the company in 2004.  When she retired in 2016 to assist taking care of her grandchildren, Owens Corning offered her a contractor position to allow her more flexibility and the ability to work from home.  

“The company was amazing through my treatments,” Lisa said.  “They were very supportive and allowed me to take whatever time I needed to care for myself.”

After her last dose of chemotherapy was complete, Lisa marked the occasion by ringing the bell at LMH – a worldwide tradition that allows patients to memorialize a monumental milestone while providing hope and determination.  Lisa brought her daughter and son to her final appointment to participate in the occasion.  

“I made the treatments look easy, breezing through them without slowing down much at all,” Lisa joked, “But it was not easy.  It can be overwhelming to think about what could happen if the treatments do not work, or if I became too ill to continue.”

After the chemotherapy treatments, Lisa’s recovery journey continued in December when she underwent a lumpectomy – surgery to remove the cancer from her breast.  After a recuperation period from the surgery and another round of oral chemotherapy, Lisa will receive radiation therapy to destroy any remaining cancer cells.  Special high-energy X-rays are used in the treatment to damage cancer cells so that the cells cannot repair themselves and reproduce.

The cancer treatment process was familiar to Lisa and her family as her husband, Jim, underwent similar treatments for lung cancer.  His treatments ended with success in February 2020, when he was declared to be in remission.  Unfortunately, Jim contracted COVID-19 and died in April 2020.  Lisa and Jim had been married for 35 years.  The couple raised their four children, Joshua Boone, Joshua, Jason, and Elizabeth Hardy, in Licking County.  Lisa is now a proud grandmother to 10 grandchildren, Eric, Taylor, Avery, Finley, Harper, Brooks, Lauren, Dylan, Paige and Camden.  Though the past years have been a challenge, Lisa’s family continues to be the motivation that assists in working to fight the cancer.  She feels strong and confident and looks forward to being a part of her grandchildren’s lives for many more years.