Turning Pain into Purpose: Liz Vasquez on Cancer, Advocacy, and Early Detection
✨ Episode Overview
In this episode of Who We Become, Amanda Lentz sits down with Liz Vasquez to explore what it means to keep living — and keep advocating — in the wake of profound loss. Together they talk about how grief can quietly become a calling, why the world doesn't stop for a cancer diagnosis, and what it looks like to turn a deeply painful chapter into a life's mission.
This conversation is for anyone who has felt invisible inside a medical system, anyone who has watched a loved one fight, and anyone wondering how to find meaning after something they never saw coming.
👤 Meet Our Guest: Liz Vasquez
Liz Vasquez has navigated cancer from every angle — as a clinician, as a survivor of a rare pancreatic tumor, and as a grieving sister who watched her older sister fight breast cancer for twelve years. Today she channels those experiences into advocacy: raising awareness for early detection, championing rural healthcare access, and serving on Roswell Park's Patient and Family Advisory Council.
🕒 Key Moments from the Conversation
00:01 Introduction — Amanda welcomes Liz and sets the stage for a conversation about advocacy, survivorship, and courage.
01:13 What inspired Liz to step into advocacy — losing her sister to breast cancer, her own rare tumor diagnosis, and years of watching patients' lives change in an instant.
03:53 What people who haven't lived it can't fully understand — cancer puts you in survival mode while the whole world keeps moving, and that changes how you see everyone around you.
06:53 The most meaningful moments so far — a friend who went for a mammogram because of Liz's sister, caught breast cancer early, and rang the bell. And Liz's own MRI less than a year after her sister's death that saved her life.
13:35 The Empire State Ride — a week-long cycling event from New York City to Niagara Falls that raises money for cancer research and brings survivors, caregivers, and families together.
16:51 How advocacy has changed Liz — more courage, a deeper sense of community, and a renewed sense of purpose rooted in honoring her sister's voice.
19:32 Why patient voices matter in decision-making — what gets lost when they're absent, and how Roswell Park's advisory council keeps the patient at the center.
23:44 What to do if you just received a diagnosis — breathe, live in the present, be your own advocate, get second opinions, and never let yourself feel alone.
29:21 How Liz wants her work to be remembered — early detection saves lives, no one is too young, and no one should face this alone.
"Cancer doesn't care. It doesn't matter where you are in your life, what you've worked for, what you've overcome. It can show up at any moment."
— Liz Vasquez
"If you can't take care of yourself, you can't take care of anybody around you. Our health truly matters."
— Liz Vasquez
"When the patient's not there, things tend to become a checkbox. We lose that empathy, we lose that compassion."
— Liz Vasquez
"My job is to get back to her. My job is to do what she can't do anymore."
— Liz Vasquez, on honoring her sister
📌 Resources & Mentions
Here are links and resources shared in this episode:
Empire State Ride NYC to Niagara Falls — annual cycling event for cancer research
Roswell Park Patient and Family Advisory Council — patient advocacy in action
Early detection resources Talk to your provider about mammograms, colonoscopies, and screening MRIs
Patient advocates Ask your cancer center — many hospitals offer dedicated advocacy support at no cost
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