Breast cancer survivor makes lifestyle changes

There is an adage Lisa Jones learned while undergoing treatment for breast cancer that has carried through her life, even as she remains in remission.

The saying is cancer stands for “c the ancer,” as in “see the answer.”

“Everything has a different perspective after cancer,” Jones said from her office in the Railway District of Whitefish last week. “Once you go through nine months of wondering if you’re going to make it, your life changes.”

Proprietor of her own communications company, Jones sat down for an interview with the Pilot last week. In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness month, she is sharing her story of living through breast cancer to become a survivor.

Jones, 49, was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2010. She felt a lump in her breast during a self-examination and went to the doctor. She eventually had a double mastectomy with reconstructive surgery and went through chemotherapy and radiation. In all, she spent nine months in treatment.

The diagnosis also sent her looking for ways to change her lifestyle. She learned that simple things that most women do, like drinking alcohol, can actually increase the risk of getting breast cancer.

“Moderate drinking, having one drink per day, is a risk factor,” she said. “That’s pretty prevalent in our culture. There was a lot I wasn’t aware of and that’s when I began to look at nutrition and cancer.”

Thinking back to the time when she was diagnosed, Jones admits her life was a bit chaotic. She had lost both of her parents, most recently her mother, to cancer. She became a first-time parent to her teenage niece and nephew who had been cared for by her mother. She and her boyfriend moved from separate homes and purchased a house together in order to have more space for the kids, but also the six pets that were part of the combined households.

The diagnosis and subsequent treatment came in the midst of all of these life changes. Jones said her first thought when she was told she had cancer was “Holy, shit.”

“You have so much to learn,” she said. “You have fear, faith and hope. You have to trust your resources and ask a lot of questions.”

ALONG WITH her medical treatments, Jones looked at ways to improve her health primarily through diet and exercise. She visited the Wellness Education Center in Kalispell and the Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida. She changed her diet and started exercising even during chemotherapy.

She took what she calls a “complimentary” approach combining traditional treatment, such as chemotherapy, with more alternative methods, like taking supplements and drinking wheatgrass.

Post cancer, Jones said she’s never felt better. Prior to being diagnosed she had an active lifestyle, but now she makes her health a priority.

“I feel better because of the way I’ve changed my life,” she said. “I appreciate every minute.”

Jones follows an almost “vegan and raw” diet. Much of the way she has formulated her diet has come from “The China Study,” a book that examines the relationship between consuming animal products and various chronic illnesses such as cancer and heart disease.

While she doesn’t let cancer rule her life she’s more aware than ever of how important it is to take care of her health. During a recent workout, Jones was reminding the other women to do a breast self examine and schedule their mammogram. In addition to her workout, Jones drinks a blend of vegetable and fruit juices every morning.

Whether diagnosed with breast cancer or not, Jones said what she’s learned can apply to all women.

“We have to be really careful about what we put in our bodies,” she said. “It’s about preventative measures. We take our bodies for granted. I want all women to learn to take control over their health — because we do have control.”

SOON AFTER her diagnosis, she joined the Flathead Valley Young(er) Women Surviving Breast Cancer support group. She said talking with those women helped her in the early stages when she was still making her way through treatment.

“They’re like, ‘Your hair is going to fall out,’” Jones said. “I thought I had two to four weeks, but they said, ‘You just had your second chemotherapy treatment, you’re going to lose it sooner.’ It’s still a shocker when your hair falls out, but I knew it was going to happen sooner rather than later.”

Despite doctor’s advice, Jones traveled to Hawaii soon after beginning chemotherapy. That’s when her hair fell out. Because of the advice from her group, she cut off her long braids prior to the trip. Those braids would become more important later than she even realized.

Being on the beach in Hawaii and bald, Jones said people immediately knew she was sick. When she looked in the mirror, so did she.

Jones took her braids to a friend who attached Velcro to them so she could wear them inside different hats. With her dark braids hanging down, most people didn’t even know she was sick.

“I didn’t think it was a big deal for my hair to fall out, but you look in the mirror and you think you’re sick,” she said. “When I was able to put my own braids on I felt normal — I had no idea how important that would be. It made me go on and have confidence.”

JONES CREDITS a combination of nutrition supplements that helped get her through the chemotherapy and radiation with minimal sickness.

“Chemotherapy zaps you,” she said.

Taking wheatgrass every day made a big difference, she said. It kept her from needing expensive shots that are typically required to build blood cells during chemotherapy.

“Why everyone isn’t drinking wheatgrass every day, I don’t know?” she said.

The nutritional supplements kept her feeling relatively well during treatments and mostly free of side effects most people suffer.

The lifestyle changes were also empowering.

“So many things are out of your control, you’ve got to take control of the things you can,” she said. “I was able to ride my bike and ski. So much of healing is in your brain and your attitude. If I could feel life and feel alive, then I felt great and I could go on and get that next treatment.”

During her treatment friends held a fundraiser to help pay her medical expenses, much of which weren’t covered with her insurance. A spaghetti dinner fundraiser brought in $20,000 in one night.

While the money helped pay off stacks of hospital bills, the fundraiser also helped raise her spirits.

“It was amazing,” she said. “Not only did it take the stress away, but it was also just that intense support and love I felt from people.”

Today, Jones is almost to the two-year mark of her diagnosis. The risk of reoccurrence lowers at the two, five and 10-year marks.

While she’s optimistic and says she plans to live at least into her late 70s, she will never forget having breast cancer. She doesn’t want to either. Cancer is what reminders her that it’s important to exercise and to only have that slice of pizza once in awhile.

“Cancer just puts everything so it’s crystal clear,” she said. “My health, my family and my community — those are really important, but health has got to be No. 1. Everyday I appreciate how good I feel.”