Precious Time: Chamberino mother’s resounding legacy despite terminal diagnosis

CHAMBERINO, New Mexico (KVIA) -- 36-year-old Lisa Alvarado-Dominguez has remained optimistic despite a dark diagnosis.

In October 2022, the mother of five was diagnosed with metaplastic squamous cell carcinoma of the breast, an aggressive and rare form of cancer.

Alvarado-Dominguez was forced to seek medical treatment in California. After undergoing chemotherapy and a mastectomy, she went into remission.

Earlier this year, she learned the disease had returned—infesting her entire body.

"One tumor in the right side of my skull, one in the center of my skull, and two in between my shoulder blades, one in my L1, which is my lower back. My entire sacrum, which is the entire butt bone, was infested. Both femurs were infested, so it spread back. I mean, in a matter of just a few months," she said.

In early October, she learned she had about a month to live.

“She pretty much told me. 'You're not going to make it to Christmas.' And I said, 'What about Thanksgiving?' She goes, ‘I don't think so.’ I was like, ‘Okay.’”

Her life expectancy was cut further because she is also experiencing liver failure.

"It was really scary. I started calling my family. I'm like, start telling people. I'm like, 'It's everywhere. It's just everywhere.' And then when, when I physically saw it on my PET scan, cancer glows like a yellow color. So you see your, your full, your full physical skeletal structure, except that mine looked like an entire glow stick.”

Alvarado-Dominguez is a single mother to five children, all under the age of 16. She recalled the moment she told her oldest son about her diagnosis.

“The look on his face, like his face just dropped, but he held it together. And then I came home, and I told my kids. And it took me back to me when I was 20. And I was going through that with my mom. And I just told them. I said, 'Look, I said we knew what was going to happen.' I said, 'Now we just have a little more time.'”

“I was like, 'We're just gonna make the most of this time. Maybe I get an extra two weeks. Maybe I'll be that lucky.' And they were just like, 'It's it's not gonna be the same without you. Because you're everywhere. You do everything. You're always giving us advice.' And I told them that's the thing. 'It's never going to stop.' Being a parent doesn't stop even after you're gone.”

Alvarado-Dominguez understands what her children are going through. Her mother died of a brain tumor one day before she gave birth to her son at only 20 years old.

"I think to myself, maybe there is hope. Maybe my mom was a stepping stone. I'm another stepping stone. And maybe in the next two, three, four years, we'll find a chemo treatment that will help."

Since the beginning of her cancer battle, Alvarado-Dominguez has raised awareness about her type of cancer.

She said New Mexico lacks proper funding and resources for cancer patients. She has called for change and a need for more funding in the state.

"In New Mexico, cancer is growing exponentially, and the treatment's just not where it should be. Patients have to travel out of state. If they don't have private insurance, their New Mexico insurance is not going to cover it.”

Alvarado-Dominguez wants to be remembered as a positive light who continued to inspire others despite her diagnosis.

"I want people to remember me as a happy person. As the person that never gave up. And I just, I, I always try to make. Even when I'm feeling low, I try to make people feel better and happy. I just want to make a difference, even if it's just for that moment. I just want people to remember like, 'God, Lisa, no matter what she went through, she pushed for everything. She always put a smile on your face.'”

Alvarado-Dominguez has spent her final days surrounded by her children. She said she was overwhelmed by the community's endless support during this time.

If you would like to help cover some of Alvarado-Dominguez's funeral and medical expenses, click here.