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The life of Elizabeth Niles Elder ’54, of Essex Junction, Vermont, is a study in true grit, a trait that helped her cope with breast cancer in 1996. A twice-divorced mother of four, Liz had recently married the love of her life and resettled from her home in Vermont to his in Texas when she was diagnosed with infiltrating ductal carcinoma.

A nursing major at UVM, Liz had found several careers. She’d been a surgical nurse in Florida. She’d run for mayor in Winooski, Vermont, lost, was appointed to the housing board, and eventually became chair of the Winooski Housing Authority and treasurer of the Winooski Community Development Corp. She worked at the UVM College of Medicine and later was administrative director of the UVM Clinical Research Center. Her medical connections also helped her sort out her choices of treatment, and she had a modified radical mastectomy, followed by radiation and chemo.

Feeling well and exuding energy, Liz has been outspoken about the shortcomings of the medical profession’s treatment of patients and puts her knowledge of it to work in breast cancer advocacy. She is coordinator for the Vermont Breast Cancer Coalition.

Experiences of Alumnae