Lisa Shaw-Brawley was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease at the age of twenty-four and learned first-hand about the ordeal of treatment and the common physical and emotional stages of recovery. Her articles related to cancer research and recovery have appeared in Houston's Sun and Observer newspapers. A journalism major at Texas A & M University, Ms. Brawley is currently on hiatus from school while staying at home to raise her son. She lives with her family in Texas.