A cancer patient urges women to pay attention to their health

Alisa Secaida knew something was wrong.

She had a cough that lasted for months and the typically energetic woman struggled to stay awake at work. In her mid-30s, she was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, and she has battled the disease for nearly four years.

A wife and mother of two young children, Secaida praises the care she is getting at City of Hope, and she is hopeful for many years ahead. She also is sharing her experience to help other women, including those who may be navigating health challenges.

Secaida also hopes to help other women understand that they need to place a priority on their own health, and that even younger women are at risk for cancer.

She advises women to see their doctor, but to also raise questions if they aren’t feeling better, or if they don’t feel like they’re being heard.

“I would recommend that if they feel like they're not making any headway with their current physician, they can still stay in network,” she says. “Go seek out another primary care physician. Go get a second opinion from somebody else and see if maybe that doctor for you is just not a good fit. Find somebody else who might be willing to take you seriously.”

She suggests doing some homework online or even with AI tools to get more information about their symptoms, which can at least lead to better questions for doctors. Most patients aren’t medical experts, and a little research could help spur questions to ask for tests to help get answers.

But Secaida urges patients not to give up. If a physician isn’t helping or listening, “just go find another doctor,” she says.

“Don't stop asking,” she says. “Don't have them convince you and explain away your symptoms. If you're not getting better and the prescriptions they are writing you aren't helping, then keep pushing back.”

Women also can’t afford to ignore their own health, she says. And it can be easy for women to put their own needs on the back burner, since so many women are focused on their families.

“We get into Mama Bear mode with our children and with our spouses,” she says. “But when it's ourselves, they're like, well, ‘They told me it's this, you know, maybe they're right, and we dismiss it.’ And that's crazy, because we have this amazing intuition as women and as mothers, and we just have to start listening to that.”

• Read more: Women are more likely than men to avoid care. Here’s how hospitals can help.