Lisa Galati Black
Cancer survivor celebrates miracle of life
Diagnosed with cancer at age 16, Lisa Galati Black suddenly had a lot more on her mind than homework and school dances. But one thing she didn't give much thought to during her 18 months of treatment for rhabdomyosarcoma (a malignant soft-tissue tumor often found in the extremities) was that the chemotherapy that destroyed her cancer might also affect her ability to have a child.
"I remember my doctor saying that I might have a low egg count as a result of the chemotherapy," says Black. "My mother was worried about it, but I was more concerned about losing my hair before the prom and being too sick to continue cheerleading. It was difficult to even think about problems that might occur in the future."
Now 29 and cancer-free for nearly 13 years, Black is a patient at the David B. Perini, Jr. Quality of Life Clinic at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The clinic provides medical, educational, and psychosocial services to help survivors of childhood cancers cope with the long-term side effects of their treatments.
Infertility is often a concern for both men and women with a history of cancer. Chemotherapy and radiation may cause a woman's ovaries to shut down so they no longer release eggs, leading to infertility and early menopause. Most women undergo menopause at around age 50, but women who have had cancer therapy may start the process in their 20s or 30s.
Cancer treatments may also diminish the amount and quality of a man's sperm, making natural conception more difficult.
Survivors with concerns like these may come to the Perini Clinic and discuss their options with a reproductive specialist.
Black kept her own concerns about infertility at bay until she started a graduate school internship at a clinic near her Jamestown, N.Y., hometown.
"As a social work intern, I was constantly working with cancer survivors who were having difficulty conceiving," she says. "That's when it really hit me. I knew I wanted children, so it was scary to think that I might not be able to have one of my own." In 1997, Black and her college sweetheart, Kent, got married and immediately began trying to start a family. Already in her mid-20s, she was worried that her window of opportunity to get pregnant was closing. Specialists at the Perini Clinic told Black that her chances of conceiving were better if she started right away.
"We were very focused," says Black. "So I was using an ovulation kit to determine when I would be most fertile. The staff at the Perini Clinic told me that if I wasn't pregnant within a year, they would refer us to a fertility specialist."
After 6 months without success, the Blacks had grown frustrated and tense from the pressure of trying to conceive. They decided to relax their efforts and let nature take its course. A month later, Black discovered she was pregnant, and her son, Colby, arrived nine months later on August 17, 1999.
Since Black could still experience early menopause, plans for another baby are already under consideration.
"My family refers to Colby as the 'Miracle Baby,'" says Black with a laugh. "It's enough that I survived, never mind that I could actually have a baby. Now I'm hoping for another miracle."
(Beyond the Cure, 2000)
