Lisa was just 32 when she reached to pick up her young son’s book bag one morning and felt a pain in her breast. She didn’t think it could possibly be cancer. “I thought I was way too young,” she says.

Although it had not spread to other parts of her body, the cancer was present throughout her breast and lymph nodes. Her surgeon told her she was going to have the fight of her life. “I was super angry,” she says. “I didn’t want to talk to anybody.”

But with the support of her family, she fought hard through treatment with chemotherapy to overcome the disease. “I started living my life. My kids got older. I got so comfortable,” she says.

Years after her first diagnosis, Lisa was enjoying a girls’ weekend in Atlanta. In the parking lot on her way into a restaurant, she started to feel short of breath. It was her heart, she thought. Or her lungs. “I wasn’t even thinking about cancer. That’s what blows my mind. I really honestly didn’t think it was back,” she says.

I wasn’t even thinking about cancer. That’s what blows my mind. I really honestly didn’t think it was back. Lisa

As she sat in the hospital, she could tell just from looking at her doctor that something wasn’t right. The cancer had returned, but this time it was much worse. It had spread to the pericardium of her heart, her lungs, her liver and her hip bones.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she says.

Her oncologist said that since her first diagnosis, things had changed. This time a test revealed that she had a particular subtype of breast cancer, called HER2-positive, and there was a targeted medicine combination that might help.

Lisa was skeptical. The cancer had spread so far, how in the world was she ever going to fight it this time? On top of that, the thought of the nausea, hair loss and exhaustion that would come with the treatment seemed too much to bear. But she wanted more than anything to have more time with her boys, and they desperately wanted her to try. So she decided, once again, to fight.

Lisa began taking the combination of Herceptin, Perjeta and docetaxel chemotherapy. Lisa experienced side effects that are common for this regimen, including nausea, feeling tired and hair loss. But the treatment was working for her. She couldn’t believe it. [Important Safety Information (Herceptin)] [Important Safety Information (Perjeta)]

Today, Lisa is alive, and she’s so grateful to be here. “I’m still classified as stage IV terminal,” she says. “But I live my life ... You get this ‘live every day to the fullest’ attitude.”

She tries not to think about the small tumors that are still left in her body anymore. But she still worries more than she did after her first remission. “It’s always in the back of my mind to be careful, to eat right, to keep my weight a certain way. Every survivor always wonders with every pain: Is the cancer back?”

Lisa says she truly owes her survival to the love and encouragement of those around her. And having her friends, her colleagues and especially her sons to support her has made all the difference.

“If you don’t feel blessed after something like this then you just didn’t pay attention. Today I feel like a fighter. There were times when I didn’t, but I do feel strong now. I really do.”

Today I feel like a fighter. There were times when I didn’t, but I do feel strong now. I really do. Lisa

The information in this story represents a specific point in time when this article was published. The story is not being updated and no representation should be made concerning Lisa's current condition. The story should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice.