When one of Lisa Knight’s 11 children was diagnosed with breast cancer, she was there to be her caregiver.

“Family is one of the greatest gifts we have and we must help preserve that to the best of our ability,” she said.

Now, her daughter is cancer-free, has retired and moved to Texas, and is celebrating a new beginning.

For Lisa, that caregiver instinct once again kicked in when her dear friend also battled cancer, providing comfort and meals once the shock of diagnosis wore off.

Because of these cancer experiences, Lisa takes time from her life as a great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother to volunteer with the American Cancer Society as a speaker and advocate.

“I was taught that we should love our neighbors as ourselves,” she said. “Caring for others is one of the greatest acts of selflessness we can offer.”

Lisa is the chief executive officer of the Girls Choral Academy, co-owner of SIDEZ food truck, and sings, performs, writes, and directs musicals. She is also the first Black woman to be a 2nd Ward city commissioner in the city of Grand Rapids and is the owner of DV Apple Logistics.