Cancer doesn't care about your age
“When you’re used to feeling tired and depleted, you can’t know there’s something seriously wrong with you until startling symptoms appear,” warned Haley Lisenbury, a 30-something from Wasilla.
Haley learned this hard lesson from experience. A self-proclaimed workaholic, Haley often juggled multiple physically demanding jobs at a time. She figured the body aches and pains that came along with construction, plumbing and trucking work were signs of her rheumatoid arthritis, something she had been diagnosed with a few years back.
“I thought my bad fatigue was rheumatoid arthritis but turned out I had cancer for 2 years and didn’t know it. Both were making me feel bad, but I had no idea cancer was in the mix,” Haley said. “I believe I created my body’s chaos through working too much, not getting enough sleep, eating food on the go that didn’t give enough nutrients, and drinking too much alcohol. Basically, trashing my body did it.”
Haley’s first symptoms showed up as bouts of severe fatigue and irregular bowel movements. She dealt with those for a couple of years before blood appeared in her stools. The startling sight served as a red flag, and she sought out a gastrointestinal specialist who recommended a colonoscopy. But, fearing her insurance wouldn’t cover a colonoscopy for someone so young, she decided to just “deal with it.”
“I blew it off for another year and I really shouldn’t have done that because the symptoms got even worse. The blood got worse, and pretty soon my body couldn’t evacuate waste. It got to the point where I had incontinence,” Haley said. “That’s when I finally went in for the colonoscopy.”
Feels like a miracle: Developing a personalized, detailed treatment plan
After careful study of the colonoscopy results and additional testing, Dr. Daniel Rossi, a general surgeon at Alaska Regional Hospital who specializes in colon and rectal procedures, gave Haley an official diagnosis: Stage three colorectal cancer.
“When he told me it was cancer, I said, ‘Yeah, that makes sense.’ I also had a huge sense of relief. I’d always been so goal oriented, and I felt like this was my first chance to take a break and have permission to focus on me and work on myself,” Haley said. “From then on, I stopped everything and turned my health into my job.”
Dr. Rossi explained to Haley that the cancerous cells had formed into a large tumor in her rectum, it had also spread to some lymph nodes and formed into a nodule in the lung. He then devised a personalized, detailed and multifaceted treatment plan for Haley, and Dr. Rossi assured her that he and his team would provide support throughout the entire journey.
“I wouldn’t have gotten through this without Dr. Rossi and his staff — they were a true miracle to me. Dr. Rossi is kind, and you can tell he’s a dad. He brings that energy to his patients. The team helped me through everything and made it manageable, and the plan gave me a lot of hope. It didn’t overwhelm me, instead it gave me a long list of recovery goals to work toward,” Haley said.
A multi-faceted approach to conquer colorectal cancer
According to the plan designed by Dr. Rossi, Haley underwent two surgeries prior to beginning radiation and chemotherapy treatments. The first surgery removed a cancerous lung nodule, and the second surgery relocated Haley’s ovaries in order to spare the organs from the upcoming radiation therapy. After recovering from both surgical procedures, Haley endured six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation.
“I called it cancer boot camp. I did everything as fast as possible, and I got lucky because my body reacted very well. My body was responsive to every sort of trick they had in their bag,” Haley said.
Dr. Rossi performed Haley’s most recent, third surgery, to remove the large cancerous tumor inside Haley’s rectum. As part of the recovery process from this surgery, Haley will have a colostomy bag for the next 6 months, allowing her body a way to remove waste while giving her rectum time to heal.
Haley’s cancer journey will also include another 6 months of chemotherapy before Dr. Rossi performs the final surgery to restore her digestive system.
Prioritizing health and quality of life
Haley said that this experience has forever changed how she approaches life, and she has advice for young and old:
“Cancer doesn’t care what age you are. If something doesn’t feel right with your body, go get it looked at. Take care of your body, or it will stop you in your tracks. I have a different perspective now, and I won’t go back to my old ways again. I’m paying attention to health and diet and I’m making changes to the quality of my life,” Haley said.
With a fresh view and chance at life, Haley says she plans to spend more time with family and enjoy rejuvenation in the great outdoors.