Lisa Goldman, lawyer turned fitness instructor, was in fantastic shape; teaching spin, pilates and various other classes in Silicon Valley when she developed a persistent cough that led to her lung cancer diagnosis.
By the time of her diagnosis in January 2014, Lisa was in rough shape. The cough notwithstanding, her disease was such that she spent the next week in ICU. Doctors administered her first round of chemotherapy immediately, while she was still inpatient.
Lisa counts herself very fortunate. The hospital where she is a patient had a standard practice of sending out all biopsies for genomic testing. At the time, this was very cutting edge – and also likely saved her life. When her testing came back, it showed a positive result for the ROS1 marker. This combination of biomarker testing and lung cancer research, her doctor treated Lisa with a targeted therapy. Although touted as having an 18-month efficacy, Lisa’s disease from progressing for many years while taking this targeted therapy.
In 2015, with the help of fellow lung cancer survivors that also including Lysa Buonnano and Janet Freeman-Daily, Lisa Goldman co-founded an online community—a Facebook group called the ROS1ders.
Currently, Lisa’s cancer is stable thanks to oral medication. And with the exception of incessant doctor appointments for lab work and scans, she is leading a busy life filled with carpooling, mom-ing and tons of advocacy work.
Lisa Goldman’s Ongoing Advocacy Work
Lisa has been a guest on a few Hope With Answers: Living With Lung Cancer Podcast episodes:
In addition, she has participated in several Hope With Answers Videos, interviewing lung cancer specialists on a variety of topics:
- What is a Liquid Biopsy for Lung Cancer?
- Targeted Therapies for Lung Cancer Treatment
- What is Immunotherapy for Lung Cancer?
- What is ROS1-positive lung cancer and how is it treated?
She was a participant in LCFA’s #LivingWithLungCancer Social Media Takeover on August 1, 2021 as part of World Lung Cancer Day.
Read Lisa’s story A Persistent Cough Sidelines Fitness Instructor: Lisa Goldman’s Story
