Soon after giving birth, Lianne discovered a lump in her breast while nursing her newborn son. The lump was particularly concerning to Lianne for two reasons: her mother died of breast cancer at 32, when Lianne was just little, and Lianne has a rare hereditary disorder called Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS) that puts her at higher risk of developing certain cancers, including breast cancer.
Lianne, a young mother of two, was taking no chances. Initially, her primary care provider was reluctant to order a mammogram, but Lianne persevered. However, the test showed nothing of concern. Given her family history, Lianne didn’t trust the results, and decided to get a second opinion at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Lianne knew that if the worst happened, she would want to be treated at Fred Hutch. After a number of tests and scans, she was diagnosed with stage II HER2-positive, ER/PR-negative breast cancer. She started chemotherapy right away.
“Sometimes you really have to advocate for yourself, especially if you are young and not perceived to be someone at risk for cancer,” says Lianne. “I was in good shape and in tune with my body. I knew something wasn’t right.”
Under the care of Fred Hutch’s Dr. Shaveta Vinayak, Lianne underwent a double mastectomy and a round of chemotherapy. Her type of breast cancer does not respond to many immunotherapy options, and her LFS prevented her from having standard radiation therapy. And, because of LFS, Lianne’s body doesn’t heal as quickly and puts her at higher risk of secondary cancers.
But when a tumor grew back along her scar line last spring, her Fred Hutch radiation oncologist, Dr. Janice Kim, recommended a different treatment: a lumpectomy followed by proton therapy.
“Radiation was a necessity at this point,” says Lianne. “But Dr. Kim said that with proton therapy, she would be better able to control the dose field.” Because of the precision of protons, Dr. Kim could target the radiation beam to the exact location of the tumor and avoid as much of Lianne’s sensitive body as possible, reducing her risk of developing more cancers.
“I am so glad Lianne came to us,” says Dr. Kim. “Her case is very complex and benefits greatly from an academic center that’s up-to-date on the latest treatment options.”
Soon after giving birth, Lianne discovered a lump in her breast while nursing her newborn son. The lump was particularly concerning to Lianne for two reasons: her mother died of breast cancer at 32, and Lianne has a rare hereditary disorder called Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS) that puts her at higher risk of developing certain cancers, including breast cancer.
Lianne had a very hard time coping with her diagnosis and leaned heavily on Fred Hutch’s psychological support offerings. In addition, a number of colleagues from work — she’s a teacher in Lake Stevens — who had also had breast cancer reached out and helped her understand the process. Her family, who had been through her mother’s cancer years before, were also there to assist her.
“I’ve had a lot of support from my husband, Kyle, and my sister, friends and family. One friend loaned me her electric car to get to appointments in Seattle. My family took turns taking care of me, my sister babysat. It made such a difference,” says Lianne. “And the staff at Fred Hutch’s proton therapy facility were so accommodating and personable. The first day there, I was crying from a hard day, and they were so kind and comforting.”
Cancer treatment was a financial hardship for Lianne’s family and applying for aid can be uncertain and takes time. Her friends started a GoFundMe page that was a big help to Lianne, which made her realize the need among patients for immediate funds. Because of her experience, Lianne decided to create an organization that can quickly get gift cards for gas or other necessities to patients in need. She would like to work closely with organizations such as the proton therapy facility at Fred Hutch to help these patients. She’s hoping to have her organization set up by her birthday, in early October.
In the meantime, Lianne was at least able to give a special gift to a young fellow patient she met at the center. The boy was fascinated with all things police, so on her last day of proton therapy, she used some personal connections to leave him a gift bag with a kid-sized shirt and a number of badges and challenge coins.
Although she is done with proton therapy, Lianne is still undergoing chemotherapy, with an earliest finish date of February 2023.
Today, Lianne spends her time reading or gardening with her five-year-old daughter and two-year-old son. She’s focusing her attention on getting a good night’s sleep to combat fatigue. And she advises patients to take the staff’s advice on recommendations for the skin exposed to radiation. “It helped a lot with my discomfort, and it’s kept my skin looking good,” says Lianne.
