‘one in a million’ Grand Rapids woman battles cancer

By Abigail Blonigen

Liz Schultz was dealing with a cough and tickle in her throat for several weeks, and it was driving her crazy. Thinking it was a residual effect from a COVID-19 infection a few months earlier, she decided to get it checked out.

On a wintery evening, Schultz drove to her local clinic in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Since she previously had COVID, the medical team ordered an X-ray of her lungs to see if they had been damaged by the virus.

“I'm so grateful for (the provider) because at 7:30 at night, she could have just sent me home with some cough medicine and said to come back in two weeks if it’s not better, but she didn’t,” Schultz said. “She took the time and made sure that I was taken care of, and I really appreciate that.”

The X-ray revealed spots on Schultz’s lungs, an indicator not of COVID-19 damage, but of cancer.

The next day, Schultz went in for a CT scan, which confirmed there were nodules on her lungs and liver as well as a 4-inch mass on the adrenal gland near her kidneys.

Schultz was diagnosed with stage four adrenocortical carcinoma in January 2021, an incredibly rare “one in a million” cancer, diagnosed only a few hundred times a year in the United States.

“It was shocking,” Schultz said. “This mild little cough, and you go in and you’re like — what?”

Aside from the cough, Schultz had no other ailments indicating a larger problem. She described the lack of symptoms as a “double-edged sword.” Her body was protecting her from feeling sick, but the lack of red flags gave the cancer time to metastasize.

Since the diagnosis, Schultz has seen numerous doctors and specialists, both in Grand Rapids and at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. She has undergone six rounds of chemotherapy and several drug treatments. The tumors have shrunk substantially, but the odds of a true cure are slim.

A mother of two girls age 7 and 8, and a partner to her fiance, Adam, for 10 years, Schultz leans into her family and faith to keep fighting despite the prognosis.

“I just want (my girls) to see that I am me and that I tried as hard as I could, and that I fought as hard as I could,” she said. “And, you know, if it doesn’t go the way I want it to go, that we gave it all.”

Currently, Schultz has been advised to give her body a break from chemotherapy.

“It had taken such a toll. My blood platelet count was getting too low, and my hemoglobin was getting too low. So they said that they probably wouldn't do that again.”

Instead, Schultz is working with an endocrinologist at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center on a few other treatment options, including use of the drug Mitotane. Her doctor there researches her specific type of cancer, which makes Schultz feel seen and valued.

“He is really taking an in-depth look at some of the rare cases of this cancer, so you’re not just a number there. You’re really their life’s work,” she said.

Prior to getting sick, Schultz had recently opened a dog-grooming business. Fortunately a colleague was able to help hold down the fort when she began treatment, and her clients have been overwhelmingly understanding and supportive. She has since been able to do a bit of grooming herself as well as hire and train a few new groomers. The business will be expanding to a bigger building in the coming months.

“It’s crazy to be able to grow my business while fighting this stupid cancer and help others learn this super fun career,” she said.

In order to keep her large circles updated on her cancer journey, Schultz created a Facebook page called “God and Liz’s Epic Team Up,” which has over 500 followers.

Faith has kept Schultz rooted during this trying time. Though she was raised a Christian, her faith “got away from her” as

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Liz Schultz and her daughters, Alexis, 7, and Lillah, 8, enjoy a day at the beach. “I just want [my girls] to see that I am me and that I tried as hard as I could, and that I fought as hard as I could,” said Liz.

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Formore information visit uwsuper.edu/cce or call 715-394-8469 a teenager and young adult. Roughly a year before her diagnosis, she made the decision to get baptized and hasn’t looked back.

“A lot of people could be like, ‘Why did God do this? Why is this happening to me?’ But to me, it was more of, ‘You know, this is happening, but God can do this. We can do this together,’” she said. “I’ve not been pushed away from my faith by this — if anything I've been pushed more into it.”

Schultz also hopes the Facebook page can serve as a journal for her children to look back on. Despite their young age, Schultz has prioritized honesty with them from the start.

“If you try to hide it, they just want to know more,” she said.

Alexis, her younger daughter, tends to avoid the subject, coping through art by drawing and coloring. Lillah, the oldest, loves science and asks lots of questions about how cancer and the treatments work.

Schultz said she loves seeing her daughters grow into two different people with their own ways of understanding and coping. Spending time with them has been her primary focus since receiving the diagnosis.

“Before I was working a lot, I was constantly running, the kids were in activities. You just don’t focus on what’s really important, and what’s really important is being together and making memories. That perspective changes in the blink of an eye.”

Schultz is humbled by the support she has received from friends, family, her partner, her church and the broader Grand Rapids community.

To keep up with Schultz’s story and progress, visit her Facebook page. D