Cystic fibrosis patient fighting breast cancer offers encouragement

HOUSTON - As we wrap-up breast cancer awareness month, a local woman lends words of encouragement to stay aware about your body and to never skip mammograms. This was a real wake-up call for her, because she was dealing with other medical problems at the time. Breast cancer was the last thing Tisa Alderete had on her mind. She's been dealing with cystic fibrosis since she was a teenager, which is actually a late diagnosis in life for this disease. "I was really thin, had this horrible cough all the time, and then it just progressed, and with tons of hospitalizations and just a lot of pancreatic issues," explains Tisa. Cystic fibrosis is a progressive, genetic disease that ended up shutting down her lungs.

She had to undergo a double lung transplant in her late 30's. "I did great with the transplant. I mean, it was amazing, because I couldn't believe how I could breathe just like everybody else, that was such a privilege to me," states Tisa. She spent many hours volunteering for Donate Life and the American Lung Association, often talking to college students about the importance of organ donation and the difference it made in her life.

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She was thriving with her new pair of lungs, until she discovered a lump in her breast. "It had been about three years since I'd had a mammogram, because that just breast cancer was not on my radar, because I had so many other things to think about, it just was not on my radar. And sure enough, then they did a biopsy, and it was triple negative breast cancer. So that was pretty shocking," says Tisa.

Her husband could hardly believe it, after all she's been through. "She's my world. She's everything to me!  I mean, I can't imagine going through this journey in life without her, even though I already knew she had a pre-existing condition, but then to lump it on to this, coming out of left field, it was a shock. But you know, here to support her, whatever it takes," says Steve.

They immediately met with breast surgeon Dr. Kelly Brit at Memorial Hermann Cypress Hospital. "It's very unusual, so, but when she presented, we knew that she wouldn't have all of the treatment options because of us trying to take care of those lungs. So, she presented with triple negative, which is a more aggressive breast cancer, and we met with her transplant specialist to work together. She wouldn't have all the chemotherapies available because of the risk of rejection from her lung transplant," explains Dr. Brit. They were able to come up with a regimen though and then Tisa was able to undergo a double mastectomy.

"I didn't realize how much medication she needs to take on a daily basis. It's amazing! She's a fighter and as you can see, she's got a great attitude. So, that's really 99% of it," says Steve. Tisa feels the love and the support helps her. She says she refuses to mope around about her health challenges! "Life is precious, this is another gift I have been given," states Tisa.

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Her doctor sure takes note of her optimism. "Tisa's attitude is something I wish we could bottle up and give to some other patients. She was very vibrant, very peppy, positive, and she's been that way the entire time, even when I know it wasn't easy on her,  but it's a huge part of this," says Dr. Birt.

She's living the healthiest lifestyle she can. "I try to exercise every day. I try to eat healthy. That's a little hard, but I try to be happy about being here, and I think that's the key. It's how your mind feels," says Tisa. She also does her best to avoid large crowds to help protect her compromised immune system. "I feel really good. I've gotten back into my groove again," remarks Tisa. She still  takes oral chemo every day and says she is handling that well.

For more information, visit the Memorial Hermann website.