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Alicia
Lewis once confided to her boyfriend (now husband),
George, “I’ve always felt that there’d be something that would change
me, that I could tell people, ‘I went through this and now I’m here.’”
She just never imagined that that “something” would be breast
cancer — diagnosed at age 29, no less.
“I’ve learned cancer does not discriminate,” she says. “You can
be 5, you can be 55, you can be 29. It doesn’t care.”
But fortunately for Alicia, when she found the lump by her right
breast in early 2013, there were many people who did care, including
the team at Texas Oncology – Methodist Charlton Cancer Center.
A positive attitude
Alicia was referred to Lakshmi Kannan, MD, hematologist and
oncologist at Texas Oncology.
Because the stage II tumor was fast growing, Dr. Kannan
prescribed two cycles of chemotherapy to shrink the tumor before
breast surgery.
“We see a lot of women like Alicia who have no real first-
degree family history with breast cancer, and we’re seeing breast
cancer at a younger and younger age,” Dr. Kannan says. “My
youngest patient yet was 20.”
Alicia’s loved ones, co-workers, and care team rallied to
motivate her throughout her treatment’s physical, emotional, and
spiritual challenges.
The “best thing ever” was the blue coconut snow cone with “a
splash of banana” that her mom brought her after each treatment.
And George reassured her with his words, his presence, and his
commitment, best demonstrated when he proposed to Alicia at
her birthday party that September.
Guard your body
On Oct. 24, Alicia’s journey to beating cancer continued with a
double mastectomy and breast-conserving reconstructive surgery
at Methodist Charlton Medical Center.
Life after cancer has had its challenges, but Alicia is grateful
that she found the lump when she did. Dr. Kannan adds that
one-third of her breast cancer patients found their cancers
through a self-exam.
“I think it’s very important for all women to be aware of their
bodies and be aware of anything outside the norm at all times,”
Dr. Kannan says.
A true overcomer
George and Alicia married on May 3.
“Throughout my treatment, George said, ‘If you won’t give up,
I won’t give up,’” Alicia says. “So in my vows, I said: ‘I promise
not to give up. I won’t give up on you, I won’t give up on me, and
I won’t give up on us.’”
The pink ribbon tattoo on her forearm is a reminder of these
commitments — and of how far she has come.
“Don’t think of me as the girl who had cancer,” she says.
“Think of me as the woman who beat cancer.”
Don’t
give up
TAKE ACTION
Has it been awhile since your last
mammogram or your last well-
woman exam? Find an OB-GYN on our
medical staff to put you on the path to
wellness:
MethodistHealthSystem.org/ FindAPhysician .How a young woman found the support to overcome breast cancer
Methodist Charlton Medical Center
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Winter 2014 – 2015
7
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BREAST CANCER
Alicia Lewis, here
with her husband,
George, didn’t let
a cancer diagnosis
defeat her. “Think
of me as the
woman who beat
cancer,” she says.