Living Out Loud: How Cancer Grounded Me and Helped Me Rise | Lisa’s Survivor Story
“In January 2020, I was living in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at the height of my aviation career. My wife was nine months pregnant with our first child. Then came the words that changed everything: “You have breast cancer.”
It was Stage 1, caught early, and everyone reassured me it was “the good kind.” As a pilot, I was trained to stay calm in turbulence, to trust the instruments, and follow procedure. So I made a plan to have surgery, recover, and get back to flying.
In February 2020, I had a double mastectomy. Just as I was preparing to return to work, COVID hit, grounding planes and halting travel across the world. I was furloughed, suddenly home, trying to heal from surgery while the entire planet stood still. And then, amid all that uncertainty, came our first son, who was born in May 2020. In a world that felt upside down, he became our anchor.
By August 2020, I had regained my strength, returned to work, and we moved to Connecticut, where my company’s headquarters were located. Slowly, life began to take shape again.
Rising Again
Over the next few years, I poured my heart into my career. I worked hard, rose through the ranks, earned multiple promotions, and eventually became Assistant Chief Pilot. I was proud, not only of the title but of how far I had come after facing cancer and uncertainty.
Then, in May 2024, my world shifted again.
My wife was nine months pregnant with our second son when I received the news no one wants to hear: the cancer was back. And this time, it had spread to my bones, specifically my L3 vertebrae and sacrum.
It was now Stage IV metastatic breast cancer. Treatable, not curable.
Hearing those words again felt like a free fall. I knew what they meant. There was no “getting back to normal” this time, only learning how to live with it. When I lost my medical clearance to fly, I lost more than a career. I lost a part of my identity. But being grounded taught me something no flight ever had: how to find peace, purpose, and freedom right where I am.
Turning Pain Into Purpose
When I could no longer fly, I began to write. Writing became my new place to navigate emotions, find meaning, and connect with others.
I created Grounded & Rising, a space for people rebuilding their lives after loss or change. I launched Living Out Loud, a storytelling project that amplifies the voices of those living with metastatic breast cancer.
Through these projects, I discovered a new kind of purpose built on authenticity and connection.
What I’ve Learned
• Healing isn’t the same as curing. I may live with cancer, but I can still live fully.
• You are not your diagnosis. You can hold both fear and gratitude, grief and joy, all at once.
• Vulnerability is courage. Sharing our stories helps others feel seen and less alone.
• Community saves lives. Research, awareness, and kindness are all forms of hope.
Living Out Loud
Today, I live with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer, but I don’t see myself as dying from it. I see myself as living with it. I chase my two little boys around and find joy in the smallest things: the sound of laughter, the stillness of early morning, the warmth of being with my wife. Cancer grounded me, but it also helped me to be more present, more grateful, and more awake to what truly matters.
If my story reminds even one person that life can still be beautiful after a diagnosis, that hope can exist alongside fear, then I’ve done what I was meant to do.
To live out loud, and to help others do the same.”
