Remarkable Women: Abilene cancer survivor, community servant credits public support with recovery
ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – In our second installment honoring four remarkable women of the Big Country, we meet Lisa Chavez, a woman well defined by her actions. In addition to working full time as an attorney, she has served on several nonprofit organization boards, often concurrently. Whether she’s working in education, community outreach, or medical assistance, Chavez says she just feels led to help others.
Remarkable Women: Abilene activist never lets up in the face of adversity
“These are things I wanna do. I enjoy my work, I enjoy helping others,” Chavez told KTAB/KRBC in a 1-on-1. “Some people would say I’m nuts, a lot of my friends will say I never rest… It’s typical for me to get up at 5:00 a.m. and go until 10:00 p.m.”
Her nomination included key descriptive words like bravery, servant, talented, and respected.
One nomination for Chavez reads in part: “Lisa Marie Chavez is a Remarkable Woman to me. She recently recovered from breast cancer and I admired her bravery and determination to get through this illness. She never gave up. She still helped her community of Abilene while fighting this battle… She is a talented individual who gives back to her community that she loves.”
In the past couple of years, Chavez has added yet another group to her list of services, this one carrying a deeply personal meaning to her. After her diagnosis in 2022, she discovered the Cancer Services Network.
“It came out of nowhere. I went and saw my doctor because I felt a lump. She (Chavez’ doctor) just said I didn’t have any of the risk factors and that she doubted anything, but of course to come get it checked. A few days later I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” revealed Chavez.
At this moment, Chavez was a woman so ready to move mountains to help others, finding herself struggling with ways to help herself. It was then in her time of need that the very support network she had dedicated herself to came in to offer stability.
“I am forever grateful to my family and my friends… My sister, my mother is a godsend,” Chavez gushed. “Absolutely so thankful for all of them.”
Chavez was also paired with a nurse advocate through her insurance company, who helped her navigate the difficult emotional and financial stresses that recovery so often demands. But even then, Chavez was not in pity for her situation. Instead, she said she focused on all the good things she still had.
“She (her nurse advocate) said she was there to help me through that process… She asked questions about if I felt safe in my home, and I realized that there were a lot of people she was advocating for that had it much harder than I did,” shared Chavez.
She underwent chemotherapy, surgery, and immuno-therapy infusions. But one key factor in her recovery was the help she continued to give others. Chavez chose to continue her professional and charitable work throughout her treatment.
“I thought, you know, sitting around and feeling sorry for myself; that was just gonna make the situation worse… I was lucky in, that I could still continue with all those things,” Chavez said.
Her work kept her mind occupied as her body recovered. Through all that, she said none of it would have been possible without the assistance of her advocate, the Cancer Services Network, and her family and friends in her time of dire need.
“I did infusions until July of 2023 and now I’m in remission,” gleamed Chavez.
Having now been on the receiving end of the help she so often gave, this remarkable woman said she is more dedicated than ever to making sure those in need have somewhere to turn. Her penchant for empathy and generosity, she said, all comes from the example set by her parents.
“Growing up, my parents were always really involved with church, the Red Cross, and just helping others… They always taught that it was very important to give back to others,” Chavez praised her parents.
The example her parents set is one lesson she said she has worked to instill in her own daughter, Lili and with the help of the community, a world view she can continue to embody post-recovery.
“I’m still here and have my relationship with my daughter and my family… And I hope that she’ll continue what my parents started, and find something as she grows older that she really wants to get involved with,” encouraged Chavez.
KTAB’s 2023 Remarkable Women contest winner: Teresa Clickener
Throughout the month of March, KTAB/KRBC will highlight four women of the Big Country nominated for our parent company’s Remarkable Women contest. Our 2024 Remarkable Woman will be announced at the beginning of April, and she will be awarded a physically large check in the amount of $1,000 to go to a nonprofit of her choosing. Then, she’ll be flown into Hollywood, California for the national Remarkable Women event by Nexstar.
After all she’s been through, Chavez promised she would donate her winnings to the Cancer Services Network to help them support others in their battles with cancer.
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