Elisa Mangosing-Lemmon was at work by 6 a.m. on May 13, in plenty of time to notice that many team members on the night shift at Riverside Doctors’ Hospital Williamsburg (RDHW) were wearing all pink.
Mangosing-Lemmon, RDHW’s Registered Nurse Education Coordinator and a Riverside provider for 33 years, didn’t think anything of the coincidence until a 9:30 a.m. huddle with day shift nurses. They also had dressed head-to-toe in pink.
“That’s when I knew they were doing it for me,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it. It still makes me cry to think about it.”
That afternoon, Mangosing-Lemmon was scheduled to undergo the last of 16 radiation treatments in what had been an exhausting, month-long protocol following a breast cancer diagnosis and lumpectomy.
While she had only told a few co-workers about the milestone, word spread quickly in multiple departments about offering a literal show of love and support. “Seeing that sea of pink made me feel incredible,” she said. “I just work with the most amazing, kind and special people.”
The impromptu idea originated with Jennifer Barthlome, Chief Nursing Officer at RDHW, who emailed other leadership team members. Several of them, in turn, shared the message within their own departments.
“As soon as I read about it, I knew our team would want to participate,” said Victoria Davis, RDHW’s Emergency Department Nurse Manager. “Elisa means a lot to us, and it’s been such a challenging time for her with not feeling very well. We wanted her to know that we’re behind her and hopefully give her an extra boost of morale for her final treatment.”
Mangosing-Lemmon, a 61-year-old mother of three, was diagnosed with breast cancer two days before last Christmas. She had no symptoms or family history of the disease, and her annual screening mammogram in 2024 was normal.
But in December 2025, a scan at Riverside Diagnostic Center Williamsburg revealed a potentially abnormal area deep in Mangosing-Lemmon’s right breast. An ultrasound and biopsy confirmed stage 1 invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), which begins in milk-producing glands.
Unlike some breast cancers, ILC grows in a scattered, single-file pattern rather than developing into a firm lump. “There was nothing that I would have felt,” Mangosing-Lemmon noted. “It was a huge shock, but I’m very lucky that it was caught – and caught so early.”
After surgery to remove the tumor and a nearby lymph node, doctors recommended radiation treatments rather than chemotherapy. Laboratory tests on the removed cells had revealed no sign of further cancer spread.
Once her surgical wounds fully healed in April, Mangosing-Lemmon began going to Riverside Radiation Oncology Specialists Williamsburg weekdays for 15-minute sessions. She never took a day off, working mornings until about 2:45 p.m. and then heading to appointments.
By the fifth session, Mangosing-Lemmon, also a Type 2 diabetic, was struggling with severe fatigue and some brain fog. One day, she took a seven-hour nap after getting home – 4 to 11 p.m. – and missed one of her 18-year-old daughter’s school musical performances.
“My family let me rest, even though I’m that parent who goes to all of my kids’ events,” she shared. “I only meant to lie down for a few minutes.”
At RDHW, Mangosing-Lemmon’s co-workers willingly helped carry some of her workload during those tough weeks; she also leaned on her husband, Jack Lemmon, and adult children Andrew, Nicholas and Ana Elise. Now on hormonal therapy to guard against any cancer recurrence, she has slowly regained her energy levels.
Come June, Mangosing-Lemmon will attend a dinner for Relay for Life of Williamsburg for the first time as a cancer survivor. She has long volunteered for the fundraiser due to Riverside’s sponsorship, as well as her late brother’s battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and her sister-in-law’s ongoing treatment for stage 4 lung cancer.
Not surprisingly, Mangosing-Lemmon is passionate about the importance of screening mammograms. She has already talked to Ana Elise, her only daughter and youngest child, about making yearly appointments as soon as her doctor recommends them.
Meanwhile, Ana Elise, a gifted artist and Jamestown High School senior, surprised her mother with a piece dedicated to her in a spring studio showcase. The acrylic work, “Nurse and Patient”, depicts items such as a stethoscope, surgical scissors, breast cancer awareness ribbon and medical identification bracelet.
(Side note: one of Ana Elise’s childhood drawings is buried in a time capsule at RDHW, which is set to be opened in 2063 for hospital’s 50th anniversary. That picture shows a nurse pushing a patient, likely Mangosing-Lemmon’s mother, to a restroom in a wheelchair.)
“This hospital has played such a positive part in my life, both professionally and personally,” Mangosing-Lemmon said. “The people here have shown up for me and my family in so many ways. I’m forever grateful.”
