For Jessica Malia Lucas, her enjoyment of life did not end just because doctors told her she had six months left to live. Armed with a diagnosis of stage four breast cancer at the age of 33, Lucas decided not to dwell on what the doctors said but on the things in life she wanted to experience.
“She wanted people to know that you could be a functioning person, and live your life with cancer,” said long-time friend Ellen Khoury. “She wanted to send that message so that people had hope, and that they wouldn’t think, ‘Oh I’m gonna die,’ as soon as they got diagnosed.”
In 2008, Lucas opened Intown Pilates, Khoury said. A certified Pilates instructor, Lucas regularly saw clients and taught classes.
“Her health went up and down, but she never quit,” her friend said. “By the fifth time she lost her hair, she was bummed, but she never had a pity party.”
Lucas took the six months doctors gave her and stretched it into 11 years. She blogged often, and just last month on the anniversary of her diagnosis Lucas posted that her time was filled with “breath taking highs & the heart breaking lows.”
“I will keep fighting, kicking and swinging, waiting for more treatment options to be approved and praying that a cure comes or this disease just stops and NED (no evidence of disease) stays forever,” she wrote on May 17. Lucas, of Atlanta, died June 6. She was 44. She requested her body be donated to MedCure, Inc. for scientific research.
A funeral mass is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Atlanta.
The youngest of four daughters of a diplomat, Lucas was born in Baton Rouge, La., but grew up all over the world. She attended Jakarta International School in Jakarta, Indonesia, and graduated high school in Virginia. She earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, with plans to become a physical therapist, but something else caught her attention, one of her sisters said.
“She decided she wanted to act and dance,” said Johanna Lucas, of Sausalito, Calif.
Jessica Lucas’ acting career included credits with Harry Connick Jr., Richard Gere and Channing Tatum, her sister said.
Throughout her illness, Lucas continued to amaze and empower friends and family with her positive outlook on life.
“Of the many things she was, becoming a teacher and a hero were not things she asked for,” said friend Tommy Housworth. “But when confronted with her circumstances, she handled both of those roles with grace and generosity.”
In addition to her sister, Lucas is survived by her mother, Elena Lucas of Honolulu, Hawaii; and sisters, Janice Lucas Volk of Hermosa Beach, Calif., and Juliet Lucas of Honolulu, Hawaii.
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