When Suzanne Asa was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer in 2008, she was determined not to undergo chemotherapy. Sixteen years earlier, her fiancé underwent grueling rounds of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with stomach cancer; he died just four months after surgery.

After consulting with her primary care physician about treatment options, Asa made an appointment at Hinsdale Hematology Oncology Associates; her fiancé had been a patient of Dr. Elyse Schneiderman. There she and Schneiderman’s partner, Dr. Lisa Flaum, discussed chemotherapy. Although she still was scared, Asa agreed to undergo chemo.

“The day I was supposed to start chemo, the doctor told me a CT scan showed something in my liver,” Asa recalls. “So instead of starting chemo, I got a liver biopsy. They found tumors.”

Pushing fear aside
The news was a heavy blow to Asa, but she found hope upon learning she was eligible to participate in a clinical trial for patients whose breast cancer had spread.

“I believe in research,” says Asa, who teaches Spanish at Eisenhower Junior High School in Darien and adult tap dance at the Academy of Dance Arts in Downers Grove. “If by participating in a clinical trial I can help someone else, it’s worth it. We need to find a cure.”

As part of a blinded trial, Asa was treated with three different types of medication, one of which might be a placebo. She underwent 24 sessions of chemotherapy. Although the chemo caused her to lose her appetite sometimes and get dehydrated, she was still able to work every day. But she became concerned earlier this summer when her nose started bleeding and the headaches she woke up with every morning weren’t going away.

An MRI revealed four tumors in her brain; the swelling was causing her headaches. She was taken off the clinical cancer study and underwent 14 radiation treatments.

Staying positive
After all she’s been through over the last two years, Asa remains upbeat. She appreciates the support of her friends and family, who raised more than $12,000 for the 2008 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Every day she can spend with Chloe and Cassidy, her two Bichon Frise dogs, is a blessing. She looks forward to retiring in 2011 after teaching for more than 41 years.

“Cancer is awful,” Asa said. “But in terms of my treatment, I could not have asked for more sensitive, knowledgeable, caring doctors, nurses and techs. They’ve made my pain so much easier to deal with.”

As for participating in the cancer trial, Asa calls it “absolutely worthwhile.”

“I truly believe it saved me,” she says.

Read how regional manager of cancer data Clarissa Moholick is dedicated to ensuring the best care for patients at Adventist Midwest Health by reading “Cancer Data Manager Recognized for Commitment to Mission.”