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Surviving & Thriving: One Woman’s Battle With Breast Cancer

Back in 1999, Lizabeth Ardisana, then 47, of Orchard Lake was reliving her honeymoon vacation with her husband in Istanbul, Turkey when she felt the ground underneath shake. But this was not the first time this had happened. Just a few days before, after they had arrived to Athens, Greece, Ardisana was toweling off from her post-flight shower, when she was thrown to the floor of her hotel bathroom as the ground beneath her shook and trembled violently.

You might wonder what message the universe is trying to tell you after enduring two back-to-back earthquakes. But for Ardisana, these seismic shifts were just the aftershocks of the cataclysmic explosion that rocked her world just three days prior.

On the eve of her enchanting vacation, which would celebrate six years of marriage, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

For many individuals, a cancer diagnosis slams the brakes on all aspects of life. From work to vacation plans to appointments, daily routine comes to a momentary but grinding halt. But for Ardisana, she kept moving. She swiftly underwent the battery of routine tests at Henry Ford Health Systems the same day, met with a client later that afternoon and then boarded the plane the very next day for her trip abroad.

THE FACTS

According to the National Cancer Institute, with the exception of skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women. Each year, over 211,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and for 40,000 of these women their cancer is fatal.

Cancer begins its process by growing in the cells of tissues. Normally, cells grow, divide and then die, as the body requires. But in cancer, this normal cellular growth is interrupted and instead new cells form even though the body no longer needs them and old cells continue thriving when they should in fact die. These surplus cells can develop into a mass of tissue called a growth or tumor. Tests are performed in order to determine if the growth is benign or malignant.

In Ardisana’s case, she was diagnosed with Stage I cancer, a category that denotes her cancer had not spread beyond the breast. Upon her return from vacation, she had a lumpectomy to remove the tumor at Henry Ford Hospital. For the next six months, she underwent treatment, which consisted of four months of chemotherapy and two months of radiation therapy.

Dr. Sheela Tejwani was Ardisana’s medical oncologist at Henry Ford Health Systems. She cautions that nobody is immune to breast cancer. “Only twenty percent of breast cancer cases are linked to genetics,” says Dr. Tejwani leaving 80% of all cases to causes that are unknown.

Ardisana had no family history of breast cancer, and she led a very active and healthy lifestyle. But since she has had lumps in her breast her whole life, she was extremely vigilant about maintaining her routine checkups and mammograms. Over the years, she had several biopsies all of which were normal until her routine appointment back in the late summer of 1999.

RISK FACTORS AND PREVENTION

Although much of the etiology of breast cancer is nebulous, research has shed light on a few salient risk factors and modes of prevention to reduce a women’s risk for developing breast cancer.

The National Cancer Institute cites being overweight after menopause, hormone replacement therapy, family history, lack of physical activity, nulliparity (having never borne a child), and alcohol consumption as the known risk factors for breast cancer. The best defenses women have against it are reducing or eliminating those risk factors that can be controlled, exercising and keeping on top of routine examinations and mammograms.

“If you notice something that feels abnormal, it is imperative you don’t ignore it. Have your doctor check it out immediately,” says Dr. Tejwani. Ardisana did just that. She found a lump in her breast during a self examination and quickly scheduled an appointment with her doctor. A biopsy soon confirmed the cancer.

THE JOURNEY

Ardisana is the CEO of ASG Renaissance, an international technical and communications business based in Dearborn with six offices throughout the country and one in Canada. She shares the company with her husband Gregory Rouke, who is also the COO.

A native Texan, this Cuban-American entrepreneur is not just an astutely sharp and dynamic businesswoman but also an ardent and passionate hiker who has brought along her nieces and nephews on her adventurous excursions and taught them the ropes of the trail. Her treks have taken her to the breathtaking Sierra loop trail in Yosemite National Park and to the awe-inspiring Dolomites in Italy.

Her willingness and bravery to explore new territories out in nature also awarded her the opportunity to explore uncharted territory within herself. “I’ve always been in the outdoors but since I’ve had cancer being out in nature is even more compelling. When you stand amid massive trees, which are hundreds of years old, and underneath giant mountaintops, your problems don’t seem so important. It’s very liberating,” says Ardisana.

Even during chemotherapy, she was planning for her next hiking trips and kept her body in shape by fighting the fatiguing side effects of treatment with exercise and good nutrition.

As part of a clinical trial to test the effectiveness of a new cream to reduce the appearance of radiation scars, Ardisana would get up before the sun rose each morning to apply the cream which had to sit for one hour before her treatment. “I hopped on my treadmill during these sixty minutes. It was a great way to keep busy and stay in shape,” says Ardisana.

Her tireless energy and her devoted commitment to her company never lessened during her treatment. She has even simultaneously received chemotherapy while leading a conference call.

“I never thought I was dying, but I did have to delegate responsibilities much more during my year with cancer. My staff and my husband brilliantly rose to the occasion,” says Ardisana.

Having cancer forced her to look at her lifestyle and her outlook, which was very healthy and vibrant to start with and step it up a notch. “I made it my own intention to look at this experience as a positive journey both physically and mentally. To prepare for my chemotherapy, I made sure that I was in the best shape of my life so that I had the strength to endure this journey,” said Ardisana.

Dr. Tejwani echoes Ardisana’s pre-treatment health with clinical evidence. “We know that people who are in good health with strong immune systems handle the treatment better and the side effects they experience are less disabling than those who come into treatment with an array of health conditions like diabetes or being overweight,” says Tejwani.

Even though she is no longer in training for one of the arduous battles of her life, she still follows a very healthy lifestyle complete with a very busy but gratifying work schedule, exercise, little alcohol consumption and healthy eating habits. Although Ardisana may be one of cancer’s toughest opponents, when it comes to potato chips, her defenses crumble. “I won’t allow them in my house anymore or else I run the risk of eating through the entire bag,” says Ardisana.

STRONGER THAN BEFORE:

Healthy and productive as ever, she continues to run her own business and she is now involved in even more philanthropic activities than before her diagnosis. Whether it is speaking at a college graduation or receiving the Excellence in Leadership award from Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, she feels more compelled and more motivated to volunteer her time and expertise.

Ardisana also sits on the board of Oakwood Hospital and even eight years after her treatment, she still continues to counsel other newly diagnosed women by helping them work through their trepidations over treatment or referring them to expert hairstylists for a fashioned wig.

“Hair is a very big deal. I lost all of my hair in one day. But it is amazing what can happen to your self confidence when you put on a wig that really suits you,” says Ardisana.

She experimented with all types of wigs and much to her surprise, found she favored certain hair pieces over her natural hair. “It’s one of those things about my cancer journey that I can look back on and find the humor in it,” says Ardisana.

She takes medication daily to prevent a reoccurrence of a tumor and will most likely be on a prophylaxis for the rest of her life. Since her medication also negatively impacts her bone density, she must counterbalance this side effect by taking a drug to increase her bone mass. But for Ardisana, swallowing a few pills is a small price to pay for her health and her spirited perspective on life.

While each individual’s journey with cancer and their reaction to their diagnosis is unique, Ardisana traveled hers with an unflinching spirit, enviable courage and playful humor that carried her through and in the end, made her stronger and more inspiring than ever.

“I treat each day with the same advice I tell the young hikers that I trek with: Take each 20 feet at a time. These few moments you are dealing with right now is your reality and that is all you can and need to be concerned with.”