After a brutal battle with leukemia, Robert Lisac ’12 plans to spend his career in the hospital – this time as the doctor, not the patient

Davis, Laura

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From Patient to Practitioner

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Linfield Magazine Volume 9 Number 1 Summer 2012 Article 9 Summer 2012 From Patient to Practitioner Laura Davis Linfield College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/linfield_magazine Recommended Citation Davis, Laura (2012) "From Patient to Practitioner," Linfield Magazine: Vol. 9 : No. 1 , Article 9. Available at: https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/linfield_magazine/vol9/iss1/9 This article is brought to you for free via open access, courtesy of DigitalCommons@Linfield. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@linfield.edu. 1 8  -  l i n f i e l d  m a g a z i n e  Summer 2012From patient to practitionerAfter	a	brutal	fight	with	leukemia,	Robert	Lisac	’12	has	seen	his	share	of	the	inside	of	hospitals.	And	yet	if	he	has	his	way,	Lisac	will	spend	his	career	in	a	hospital	–	but	from	a	different	vantage	point.	 Lisac	graduated	with	honors	with	a	degree	in	biology	in	May	and	hopes	to	one	day	treat	children	with	cancer.		This	summer	he	will	apply	to	medical	school	and	plans	on	volunteering	at	Doernbecher	Children’s	Hospital,	the	same	hospital	where	he	received	his	treatment.		 At	age	12,	Lisac	was	diagnosed	with	leukemia	and	spent	six	years	battling	the	disease	and	complications	from	treatments.	As	his	peers	started	high	school	in	2004,	Lisac	received	life-saving	bone	marrow	from	his	older	brother,	William.	Soon	after,	complications	set	in	and	during	an	October	stretch	in	the	Doernbecher	Intensive	Care	Unit,	he	was	given	a	2	percent	chance	of	living.		 Amazingly,	he	rebounded.	From	his	10th	floor	window,	he	could	watch	the	sunrise	over	the	Willamette	River	and	reflect	on	all	he	was	going	through	before	the	chaos	started	each	day.	 “There	was	so	much	unknown,”	said	Lisac,	recalling	the	concern	of	his	doctors	and	parents	when	he	relapsed.	“That	was	the	most	worrisome	time.		At	all	other	times,	there	seemed	to	be	a	plan	of	action	and	I	just	trusted	the	doctors	and	knew		I	would	get	through	it.”	 	In	all,	he	endured	more	than	1,100	doctor	appointments,	69	blood	transfusions	and	25	major	surgeries,	not	to	mention	hundreds	of	needle	pokes,	antibiotic	doses	and	chemotherapy	sessions.		 Though	confined	to	a	wheelchair	for	most	of	his	high	school	years,	he	still	managed	to	walk	across	the	stage	to	deliver	his	valedictorian	speech	at	Clackamas	High	School.	Appropriately,	he	urged	his	fellow	classmates	to	“never	give	up.”		 “Cancer	makes	you	grow	up	fast,”	he	said	in	his	speech,	which	can	be	found	on	YouTube.	“There	are	no	guarantees	in	life,	but	I	learned	that	it’s	important	to	never	give	up	on	your	dreams.”		 By	the	time	he	set	foot	on	the	Linfield	campus,	Lisac	was	cancer	free	and	appeared	every	inch	a	typical	college	freshman,	biking	to	class	and	snowboarding	on	the	weekends.	Most	of	his	classmates	had	no	idea	of	his	past	health	challenges.				 But	the	experience	left	Lisac	with	a	profound	drive	to	become	a	doctor.	In	addition	to	making	the	Dean’s	List,	playing	in	the	Linfield	pep	band	and	joining	the	Linfield Review	photography	staff,	Lisac	immersed	himself	in	science.	For	the	past	three	years,	he’s	conducted	cancer	research	with	Anne	Kruchten,	assistant	professor	of	biology,	who	describes	Lisac	as	driven	and	focused.	 “Robert	is	skeptical	and	always	looking	for	evidence,	the	trait	of	a	really	good	scientist,”	said	Kruchten,	his	advisor.	“When	you	combine	drive	and	skepticism,	you	have	the	potential	to	make	really	important	discoveries.	He’ll	be	a	great	physician	because	he	will	have	the	medical	knowledge	and	use	it	to	serve		his	patients.”	 Lisac	also	nabbed	summer	internships	studying	colorectal	cancer	proliferation	at	Baylor	College	of	Medicine	and	research	with	his	own	oncologist,	Dr.	Eneida	Nemecek,	at	Doernbecher’s	Hematology	Oncology	Clinic.	 Lisac	said	the	hardest	part	of	having	leukemia	was	not	the	illness,	but	rather	the	isolation	and	loss	of	friends,	both	for	him	and	his	family.	 “I	wasn’t	in	school	anymore	and	it’s	just	something	that	happens,”	he	said.	“No	one	knows	what	to	do.	They	don’t	understand	what’s	going	on.	That’s	why	you	make	such	strong	connections	with	other	cancer	patients	and	their	families.	They	understand	what	you’re	going	through.”	 Ultimately,	Lisac	believes	his	struggle	will	make	him	a	better	doctor.	 “This	experience	will	allow	me	to	have	a	lot	of	empathy	with	patients	and	truly	understand	what	they’re	going	through,	and	what	they	will	likely	need	in	a	certain	instance,”	he	said.	“I’ve	had	the	patient	experience	and	can	understand	how	they’re	feeling.”– Laura DavisRobert Lisac ’12 battled leukemia as a teen and said, “The exposure to so many doctors and seeing each one of them taking such pride in my treatment gave me immense respect for the profession and a desire  to be among them.”There are no guarantees in life, but I learned that it’s important to never give up on your dreams.LC_Magazine_mag25.indd  18 6/6/12  1:46 PM

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From Patient to Practitioner

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