What every woman should know about inflammatory breast cancer

Lisa Overholser, 57, of St. Paris, Ohio, says she will never have another bad day – every day is a good day for her after the past two years of literally fighting to stay alive.

You wouldn’t know Lisa had been so sick or that she is living with cancer as a chronic disease when witnessing the joy, positivity, and hopefulness she exudes in daily life talking to friends, attending church and, most of all, playing with her new grandson.

But in May 2020, at the peak of the COVID-19 global pandemic, Lisa went to the doctor for persistent pain and swelling in her neck and shoulder. She expected a pinched-nerve diagnosis but left with the news she had stage 4 inflammatory breast cancer.

Cancer was no stranger in Lisa’s extended family; her father had been successfully treated for cancer at the OSUCCC – James years before. When her three adult children learned of their mother’s diagnosis, there would be no messing around – they insisted that she immediately transfer her care to The James, where a subspecialized breast cancer treatment team rapidly mobilized, and Lisa began chemotherapy right away.

“It was very overwhelming. At the time, no visitors were allowed in the hospital. I underwent the bulk of my chemotherapy – which is nicknamed the ‘the red devil’– and my radiation alone,” she recalls.

Click to learn about The James Cancer Diagnostic Center

Lisa says her treatment team became her family and an important source of strength when she was at her sickest and the global environment made it impossible for her close-knit family to physically be by her side during her hardest days of treatment.

“My hospital family, church family, faith in general, friends and children carried me through this very physically and mentally difficult time, but I am alive and doing well, taking it one day at a time and enjoying this precious life with my family and friends,” Lisa says.

Following intensive chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, as well as support services like nutrition guidance, Lisa takes a maintenance two-drug oral treatment combo to keep her disease stable. While she has lost strength and experiences side effects from treatment (e.g., lymphedema and neuropathy), she is a beacon of gratitude for a renewed opportunity to live.

Now she spends her days enjoying her children and grandson, running a small jewelry business from her home, attending church and finding ways to work on building strength. She is also the caregiver for her aging mother, who lives with her.

A former physical therapist assistant and single mother who raised three children alone, Lisa was very concerned at the time of her diagnosis about being able to afford treatment. She worked with the OSUCCC – James financial assistance program to find resources that would allow her to afford her care, which was paramount for her to feel that she could pursue treatment.

“Life is a gift, and I am grateful to be living it every day. I would encourage any person facing a cancer diagnosis to advocate for yourself. No one chooses cancer, but you absolutely have a choice in where you receive treatment,” says Lisa

Would you recognize signs of inflammatory breast cancer

Inflammatory breast cancer can occur in any part of the breast and in any molecular sub-form of the disease. Inflammatory breast cancer can be often misdiagnosed because it mimics symptoms similar to breast infection. Those signs include an orange peel-like texture or dimpling of skin, a feeling of heaviness, tightening of the skin, engorgement of the breast and infection-like redness. OSUCCC – James breast cancer experts note that no radical changes to the breast should be dismissed as “normal,” and breast self-exams should be performed regularly.

Individuals are encouraged to discuss concerning changes with their physician.

Click to learn more about breast cancer care and mammography at Ohio State.