Liza Marshall, a graduate of Duke University and the University of Virginia School of Law, practiced communications law in Washington, DC until the mid-2000s. With two children and with her husband building a demanding career as a nationally recognized oncologist, she retired from practice to manage her family and focus on volunteer work. Soon thereafter, she helped to found a cancer support organization, Hope Connections for Cancer Support in Bethesda, MD, and she served on the board for nine years. She continues to serve in leadership roles with Hope Connections, her church, and in her community. She is also a Jeopardy champion (1997). In 2006 when she was forty-three years old, she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, the most deadly form of breast cancer. In 2021 she and her husband published a book, Off Our Chests: A Candid Tour Through the World of Cancer, about their experiences with Liza's cancer and how it impacted their lives and their family.