Queens healthcare worker turns cancer diagnosis into mission to help others

Lily Cabezon had spent three decades working in the medical field when her own life changed in 2020.

A senior physician assistant in the Urologic Oncology department at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, Cabezon had just begun a dual-degree program pursuing a master's and an MBA in healthcare leadership when she started losing weight and discovered a lump in her breast.

The diagnosis was stage 4 breast cancer that had spread to her thoracic spine.

"I had been with these people online with long black curly hair. And then all of a sudden I was wearing a cap every day," Cabezon said, describing how cancer treatment changed her appearance during her classes.

She recalled the emotional toll of learning she had cancer.

"I was a mess. Hysterical, crying. I couldn't stop. I couldn't breathe. I didn't know what was happening," she said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cabezon navigated treatment amid restrictions that limited in-person support. She underwent six rounds of chemotherapy, several types of immunotherapy, a double mastectomy, and reconstructive surgery. She also kept a photo journal to help her friends and family stay connected to her experience.

Throughout treatment, she continued working in a reduced capacity, drawing on her own diagnosis to better understand what her patients were facing.

"Triple positive breast cancer used to be a death sentence for people because they didn't have anything to treat it," Cabezon said, adding innovations around immunotherapy have been a game changer.

Her former supervisor, Sheila Rivera, director of urology surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, became a source of support and encouragement.

"Just because she's going through this doesn't mean that she's any less strong. If anything, she's stronger," Rivera said.

Cabezon said her experience has given her a deeper understanding of the emotional needs of people navigating cancer.

"I can see it in their eyes, I can feel it in my heart when they just look lost or they need a hug or they need a box of tissues," she said.

She completed her graduate degree, where she met Jenny Sato, who became a close friend and connected her with the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Sato said she admires Cabezon's willingness to use her experience to help others, even when doing so may bring back difficult memories.

"I love seeing how empowered she is now and showcasing her strength and wanting to help patients through difficult times, even if it might spark memories of difficult times for her as well," Sato said.

Six years after her diagnosis, Cabezon is preparing to lead a group of friends and supporters this Saturday across the Brooklyn Bridge as part of an effort to raise awareness and advocate for breast cancer funding, part of the Komen Foundation's annual Race for the Cure.

"My story is not for me. It's for me to help someone else, to let them know that they're not alone," she said.

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