COLUMBIA, S.C. — Lisha Johnson has a story of survival that most people would have a hard time comprehending. Seven years ago, at the age of 43 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The diagnosis came as a complete surprise to Johnson, who says that she never missed a scheduled mammogram.
She remembers the day she felt the lump in her left breast and thought to herself, "something about this just doesn't feel right." She scheduled a doctor's appointment and after an ultrasound, mammogram and needle biopsy, she heard her name and the words breast cancer in a sentence together.
Johnson was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. This type of cancer, according to doctors, is typically found in women younger than 40, who are Black. The invasive breast cancer tends to grow and spread quickly so oncologists are often aggressive with their treatment.
Johnson endured 16 rounds of chemotherapy, 33 radiation treatments and a lumpectomy. During that same time, she was helping her mother, who was battling stage 3 lung cancer.
Johnson's cancer was in remission for five years before it returned, in the same breast, this time estrogen driven; this time stage 2. She made the decision to have a double mastectomy. Her treatment this time also included chemotherapy and a medication that she has to take every day for the rest of her life.
Johnson credits her faith and her family with surviving the potentially fatal diagnosis twice.
A year ago, she lost her mother, but Johnson says she knows her mother is "looking down on me and proud of everything I've accomplished."
As she prepares to celebrate her 50th birthday, she does it with a renewed outlook on life and message encouraging everyone to put their health first.