Lily's Journey to Renewed Health through Cleveland Clinic in Florida's Care and Support Programs

Lily Cuadra is grateful she found Cleveland Clinic in Florida three years ago. Despite facing the same illness twice, she says she feels healthier now than she did at her first visit.

She credits not only her doctors, but the caregivers in the nutrition and exercise programs at Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital who she says have made a “profound difference” in her overall health and well-being over the past few years.

In February 2022, Lily, a South Florida resident who was 50 years old at the time, went to Weston Hospital for the first time for a routine women's wellness exam and was referred for a routine mammogram and ultrasound. When she had that done the following month, some abnormalities were found, and she was referred for a core needle biopsy (a minimally invasive procedure to collect a sample of tissue for diagnostic analysis).

A few days after the biopsy, Lily received a call that she had atypical lobular hyperplasia (ALH) – an overgrowth of cells in the breast lobules (small milk-producing glands) that is not cancerous but is linked to a higher risk for invasive breast cancer.

“It was very scary,” Lily says. “It felt like a whirlwind. I did not have a lot of time to think and process because (the Cleveland Clinic caregivers) were moving so fast and taking care of me. I was scared but I also felt reassured. The way they explained the diagnosis and treatment options made me feel safer and that I was in the best possible hands.”

In May of 2022, Margaret Thompson, MD, a Weston Hospital breast surgeon, performed an excisional biopsy on Lily’s breast to remove the abnormal cells and tissue. Based on those results, she was diagnosed with lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), a more extensive form of ALH. Lily was then referred to the care of Elizabeth Stone, MD, a Weston Hospital oncologist.

Lily Cuadra feeling healthier and happier through care and support programs at Weston Hospital.

A follow-up mammogram and ultrasound six months later revealed abnormalities, and the ensuing biopsies again revealed the presence of ALH and LCIS. Lily was prescribed Exemestane, an oral drug that reduces estrogen in the body. Although Exemestane is a cancer-preventive hormone therapy, its side effects, which include a risk of osteoporosis, were concerning to Lily. Dr. Stone recommended Lily take part in a tailored exercise program provided free of charge for oncology patients at Weston Hospital.

“Women are hesitant to consider these medications because of the side effects, but for most women they are manageable,” Dr. Stone says. “Exercise is one of the things that is in the woman's control to help with the joint pains and to prevent osteoporosis.”

Lily has been participating in the exercise program for almost two years and says she feels healthier and more physically fit and has been able to manage the side effects of the medication.

“The consistent encouragement and support of (exercise physiologist) Romane Shaw have resulted in significant gains and benefits,” Lily says. “I've experienced a noticeable reduction in fatigue and stiffness, and my joint pain has resolved. The hot flashes have decreased in number and are more manageable, and I have also had significant gains in muscle strength and bone health as shown by the results of my most recent bone density scan.”

Lily also has been utilizing the services of Kim Geiringer, RD, LDN, a dietitian at Weston Hospital.

“Kim is extremely knowledgeable and kind and she provides a positive, gentle and non-judgmental space in which to discuss healthy eating, which has been healing in more ways than one,” Lily says.

Lily says she is grateful to Cleveland Clinic in Florida. She used to feel scared to walk into the cancer center at Weston Hospital but now she feels happy and confident when she walks in for a workout, nutrition counseling or a follow-up exam.

“I am taking an active role in my care,” she says. “I am doing as much as I can, to stay as healthy as I can, for as long as I can, and giving my body the best chance to fight battles that may or may not come one day.”