''Thriving': After Cancer Experience, Dix Hills Woman Leads Lymphoma Walk, Inspires As Ambassador For Hope

HUNTINGTON, NY — For five years, Ilyse Leibowitz lived in a cycle of treatments, uncertainty and resilience — navigating a rare form of lymphoma that refused to respond easily.

Now, the Dix Hills resident is using her experience to help others as she helps lead this year’s Lymphoma Walk.

Leibowitz, 57, a former Jericho educator and yoga instructor, will serve as a New York Walk Chair and committee member for the Lymphoma Research Foundation’s annual Lymphoma Walk, set for Sunday, April 26 at Pier 16 in Manhattan’s South Street Seaport.

The event is expected to draw about 300 participants and aims to raise approximately $150,000 for lymphoma research and patient resources.

Diagnosed in 2018 with stage 4 non-Hodgkin T-cell lymphoma, Leibowitz spent five years undergoing treatment, cycling through seven different protocols before ultimately reaching remission.

Despite being active and healthy, she experienced persistent symptoms, including skin issues and night sweats, before a biopsy confirmed lymphoma.

Leibowitz underwent chemotherapy, clinical trials and multiple therapies that proved ineffective, all while navigating the emotional toll of uncertainty and the physical demands of treatment.

Throughout that time, she leaned heavily on her support system, including her husband, Barry, and their two daughters. She also turned to something that would become central to her recovery — yoga.

Already a certified instructor, Leibowitz adapted her practice throughout treatment, using breathing, mindfulness and movement to help manage both the physical and emotional weight of her diagnosis.

"I typically say I am having a 'cancer experience' as opposed to saying I 'have' cancer?," she said. "I think it’s important to use empowering words, so I remember to notice all the other parts and aspects of who I am rather than having the cancer define me."

Leibowitz now teaches yoga privately and hopes to expand that work into classes specifically for cancer survivors. Her turning point came with her seventh treatment — a monoclonal antibody immunotherapy that ultimately proved effective after years of setbacks.

“Every time I feel scared, I remind myself that every good thing I have in my life came after I decided to be brave and not allow the diagnosis to define me,” she said. “I did not ask to become a warrior, but now I understand this journey is an opportunity to reveal the best parts of myself. It is happening, and I am thriving in this new version of myself and what it means to be able to face uncertainty and to prevail.”

She said the experience has reshaped how she views both hardship and healing.

“We are all parts at once, and it is our birthright to feel joy and happiness alongside the grief of forever navigating the cancer experience,” she said.

Now in remission, Leibowitz has shifted her focus toward advocacy.

“I love using my voice to amplify how the Foundation feels like a family, here to hold my hand, here to show me the way with their various programming, a live voice to listen to concerns, and up-to-date information on the newest available treatments and the ones near FDA approval,” she said.

The Lymphoma Walk, she said, reflects that same sense of connection.

“The walk is a beautiful gathering of love,” Leibowitz said. “It is a morning to feel noticed, to feel held, knowing we are not alone, and an energy of hope and success.”

She said she is proud to serve as an ambassador and looks forward to meeting participants at Sunday’s event.

Organizers say funds raised through the walk will support ongoing research and patient resources, particularly for complex and rare forms of lymphoma.

The walk will take place on Sunday at Pier 16 in Manhattan.