Liza Lee

What makes a thirty-one year old singer and songwriter want to donate all of the proceeds from her new jazz project to the Society for Women’s Health Research?

First of all, I have an aunt who is battling ovarian cancer. That has been my most recent wake up call. But my personal journey to finding the Society for Women’s Health Research was unexpected and precarious. This is a path that I would rather not have ambled down except that it has led me here to a great organization working to improve the health of all women through research. I am glad to help increase awareness about the dire need for funds to research how illness, disease and medications uniquely affect women’s bodies.

Let me tell you about my journey.

My name is Liza Lee. I am a New York City-based performer. Four years ago, in 2004, I had just released my first jazz CD, “Scarlet Mark.” This was an amazing time period in my life. “Scarlet Mark” was receiving great reviews, radio play and allowing me to do something that I love—perform live and tour. I could not have been more excited. My dream of a fulfilling singing career had become a reality.

Around this time I had the opportunity to travel to and perform in the Dominican Republic. It was a great experience, but while there I contracted what turned out to be Dengue Fever, which is similar to malaria. It took me several weeks to even begin to recover. I use the word “begin,” because I never did seem to recover fully.

My immune system has not been the same since this illness. My energy level also dropped drastically. I went from being a busy artist constantly on the go to someone virtually confined to her apartment by constant aches and unending fatigue. Doctors had no explanation for my condition or effective ways to treat me. It became an isolating and depressing time for me.

Slowly, I began to have better days and was ready to start performing again. Then, in May 2006, I suffered a stroke. As a singer, writer and performer, it was devastating. The days after the stroke were cloudy and I didn’t feel like myself. Soon, I was able to put my finger on what it was. My poetry was gone. This is the only way that I can describe it. The artist inside me was gone. Normally when I see something, it would spark a line that I would scramble to write down. I have countless notes on books, napkins, any scrap of paper available at the time to capture the thoughts flowing out of my mind. The essence of my life and work had come to a stand still. I remembered thinking at the time, “Why God? Take anything but not my mind. I can’t live like this.”

We began to ask questions. “How and why would stroke strike a young woman like me?” My doctor told me they are seeing more and more strokes among young people. Why? They don’t know. The research has not been conducted to provide an answer. Nor has there been much research on how strokes affect women differently than men, despite the fact that 61 percent of all stroke deaths occur in women. 

After I got out of the hospital, I was told that my ANA (anti-nuclear antibody) levels were high, which indicates I may have an autoimmune disease. I was told I needed to be tested for Lupus. As I researched Lupus on my own, I discovered that my symptoms and recent medical history matched that of Lupus patients. I thought, “This may be it.  I am not alone after all!”

But after all the tests were done, I still did not have an answer. After two and a half years of fatigue, constant aches and pains, episodes of vertigo, migraine headaches, burning skin and a host of other uncomfortable symptoms, my doctor could only say: "Well, we're just not sure what is wrong with you… More and more women come into my office with similar symptoms, and we don't know why or what to tell them."

Sick and tired of being sick and tired with no end in sight and no explanation for why or how to get better, I found no comfort in knowing that other women were in the same boat.

My doctor was empathetic, but she echoed a familiar line I had been hearing for some time: there is so little research being done on autoimmune disorders, which predominantly affect women and minorities. As both a woman and a minority, I find this unacceptable.

For the last two years, I have been keeping a health journal and managing symptoms as best I can.  I am happy to report that I currently feel great. My only symptoms for the past seven months have been bad dandruff, rashes, hair loss and the loss of a nail here and there. They are discomforting and annoying, but I won’t let them keep me down. I am going get out there and live!

My poetry came back one morning as easily as it left me, so I am writing songs for my new jazz CD. This CD will also feature songs written by other women lyricists, composers and songwriters. The proceeds of this project are being donated to the Society for Women's Health Research. I am thrilled to play a proactive role in the search for answers for me and for other women. I hope that future generations of girls and women will not have to deal with these issues and that health research will evolve to address the health needs of every patient, regardless of your sex, gender, race or ethnicity.

So that is the path that has led me here to you. I ask you to open up your hearts and help to increase awareness about the need to better fund women’s health research. We are all in this together! The choice for a brighter future is in our capable hands. Will you join us on our journey?

Sincerely,

Please donate now.