Surviving cancer gives hope to a cancer survivor as she lives out a dream she has had since she was a little girl.

Lisa Keefe, shown here in Sydney, Australia, is enjoying her life to the fullest as she loves to travel. Photo contributed by Lisa Keefe.

Lisa Keefe’s life changed drastically after she moved from her hometown of Twillingate, N.L, to Toronto, Ont., in 1985 to work as a travel consultant.

“Six years later (after moving to Toronto), I was diagnosed with cancer,” said Keefe.

On January 30, 1991, Keefe was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia, at the age of 23.

When doctors at the Toronto General Hospital gave Keefe the diagnosis, they informed her that she was in the advanced stages of the leukemia. She was upset and confused because cancer did not and still does not run in her family. In the advanced stages of cancer, her leukemia spread all over her body as there were black bruises that were filled with lumps.

“I was two weeks from death,” Keefe said.

Not long after she was admitted into the hospital, her family was called in and the doctors gave Keefe chemotherapy immediately.  This was the beginning of her fight against cancer.

“I was upset because I had to be in the hospital so much,” Keefe said. “Being 23 at that time, I don’t think I understood the whole impact of what was really going on around me.”

While in the hospital, Keefe lost around 35 pounds in a few weeks. She lost all of her hair.  For the majority of her journey as a cancer patient, she was living at the hospital.

In addition to chemotherapy, Keefe went through a series of procedures including radiation treatment and a bone marrow transplant.

Since her successful surgery and treatments, she has been cancer-free. She recently celebrated her 21st  anniversary since being diagnosed with leukemia.

“I had the best doctors (in Toronto) and I am happy to be alive. Anybody who survives cancer is going to be happy to be alive,” Keefe said. “It’s been an interesting journey. I learned to stop and smell the roses and appreciate things as well as family and friends a lot more.”

Keefe relaxes in the College of the North Atlantic library at the D.S.B. Fowlow Building in Stephenville while on a study break. James Churchill photo.

Following the Sept. 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City, the travel industry experienced a downturn. Keefe decided it was time to turn to the next chapter in her career. She then realized through some professional help that the arts would be the next best career choice.

She studied graphic design for six months and worked in that field until 2009, this is when she moved back to Newfoundland. Recently, she decided to add digital animation to her graphic design experience. In 2011, she started studying the digital animation program at College of the North Atlantic campus in Stephenville. She is living a dream she has had since she was a little girl – creating cartoons.

“I always loved Bugs Bunny, and the Tasmanian Devil was my buddy.”

Even though she is living out a dream, Keefe has not forgotten her struggles as a cancer patient and the life lessons she learned from the experience.

“They say the younger you are the better chances you have to survive cancer. But I think that anybody who has the will to live will beat cancer,” Keefe said. “Where there’s life there’s hope.”

Like many cancer survivors, Keefe went on to be part of a peer group that gave support to other cancer patients. Stephenville has a similar support group. For more information, call Joyce Fromm at 709-643-3021.