Lauren Davies Belcher-Breast Cancer
Donation protected
Please read this story about an amazing, strong, courageous, woman who I have been blessed to know for thirty years. Her name is Lauren. Her Mom Terri has been my closest and dearest friend since I was 13, and I love Lauren with all my heart. Lauren needs some help from her family and friends. Please read her story and consider donating any amount to help out Lauren and her husband Ryan.
In early January of this year, after returning home from a Girl’s Trip for her 30th Birthday, Lauren discovered a lump in her right breast. She immediately had a mammogram, ultrasound and a biopsy of the tumor to determine what it was. Unfortunately, 4 weeks after her 30th birthday, Lauren was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. The next few days were filled with even more information and test results. Lauren’s diagnosis was a level 3 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, which is the most aggressive form of breast cancer. It was also discovered that Lauren’ type of breast cancer is Triple-Negative Breast Cancer which only affects 10-15% of woman with breast cancer. Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is harder to treat since it’s not hormone reactive.
Because of the aggressive nature of Lauren’s type of cancer and her age, she was elected to be treated by an amazing team of doctors at the Arizona Tumor Board. Lauren has worked with her team of doctors over the last couple of weeks to develop a course of treatment which the doctors feel will be the most beneficial for her, and these treatments will begin immediately.
Lauren and her husband Ryan of two years will need to put their plans of starting a family on hold as Lauren starts her cancer treatments. Lauren’s difficult journey starts this week, as Lauren begins to prepare for chemotherapy. She and Ryan have decided to go forward with fertility injections and egg retrieval before her chemo starts. While doing the fertility injections, Lauren will start labs, have a PET scan completed, receive a port catheter placed in her chest for chemotherapy, have the egg retrieval process, then start chemotherapy. Lauren will have chemo once a week for 12 weeks, then every other week for the remaining 4 weeks. Once chemo is completed, Lauren will need to wait a month for her white blood cell count to bounce back to a higher level, then she will undergo a double mastectomy with reconstruction. Recovery varies from 4-8 weeks depending on how she does. With the nature of her tumor and fast spreading cells, Lauren will begin 6-10 weeks of radiation, 5 days a week after recovering from her mastectomy.
Lauren is expected by doctors to become 100% cured only if she does aggressive treatment. Treatment is going to be very rigorous and time-consuming, however.
Lauren loves to work and is very passionate about her career. She started a new job in the midst of finding all this devastating news out. While she will work as much as her body lets her, she will be missing a good amount of work over the next 9-12 months of treatment. Even with insurance, cancer is very expensive, from meeting deductibles to potential out of network doctors, the expenses will start piling up, not to mention the loss of income from not working. On top of that, Lauren and Ryan were not planning to do egg/embryo storage which is a huge expense to take on without planning and saving.
Lauren has been through so much the last few years. From a bad car accident that resulted in 7 surgeries and kidney failure, Lauren and Ryan are still recovering financially from that. Just when life started to get back on track, Ryan’s father past away unexpectedly. These two have been through so much in there first two years of marriage.
We are hoping to reach friends and family near and far to help Lauren and Ryan get through this long journey ahead. No amount donated will be too little. This is to help alleviate the financial stress they will be facing. Cancer is fueled by stress so that is the last thing we want for Lauren. Thank you all for your donations... you’re helping Lauren kick cancer's ASS!
In early January of this year, after returning home from a Girl’s Trip for her 30th Birthday, Lauren discovered a lump in her right breast. She immediately had a mammogram, ultrasound and a biopsy of the tumor to determine what it was. Unfortunately, 4 weeks after her 30th birthday, Lauren was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. The next few days were filled with even more information and test results. Lauren’s diagnosis was a level 3 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, which is the most aggressive form of breast cancer. It was also discovered that Lauren’ type of breast cancer is Triple-Negative Breast Cancer which only affects 10-15% of woman with breast cancer. Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is harder to treat since it’s not hormone reactive.
Because of the aggressive nature of Lauren’s type of cancer and her age, she was elected to be treated by an amazing team of doctors at the Arizona Tumor Board. Lauren has worked with her team of doctors over the last couple of weeks to develop a course of treatment which the doctors feel will be the most beneficial for her, and these treatments will begin immediately.
Lauren and her husband Ryan of two years will need to put their plans of starting a family on hold as Lauren starts her cancer treatments. Lauren’s difficult journey starts this week, as Lauren begins to prepare for chemotherapy. She and Ryan have decided to go forward with fertility injections and egg retrieval before her chemo starts. While doing the fertility injections, Lauren will start labs, have a PET scan completed, receive a port catheter placed in her chest for chemotherapy, have the egg retrieval process, then start chemotherapy. Lauren will have chemo once a week for 12 weeks, then every other week for the remaining 4 weeks. Once chemo is completed, Lauren will need to wait a month for her white blood cell count to bounce back to a higher level, then she will undergo a double mastectomy with reconstruction. Recovery varies from 4-8 weeks depending on how she does. With the nature of her tumor and fast spreading cells, Lauren will begin 6-10 weeks of radiation, 5 days a week after recovering from her mastectomy.
Lauren is expected by doctors to become 100% cured only if she does aggressive treatment. Treatment is going to be very rigorous and time-consuming, however.
Lauren loves to work and is very passionate about her career. She started a new job in the midst of finding all this devastating news out. While she will work as much as her body lets her, she will be missing a good amount of work over the next 9-12 months of treatment. Even with insurance, cancer is very expensive, from meeting deductibles to potential out of network doctors, the expenses will start piling up, not to mention the loss of income from not working. On top of that, Lauren and Ryan were not planning to do egg/embryo storage which is a huge expense to take on without planning and saving.
Lauren has been through so much the last few years. From a bad car accident that resulted in 7 surgeries and kidney failure, Lauren and Ryan are still recovering financially from that. Just when life started to get back on track, Ryan’s father past away unexpectedly. These two have been through so much in there first two years of marriage.
We are hoping to reach friends and family near and far to help Lauren and Ryan get through this long journey ahead. No amount donated will be too little. This is to help alleviate the financial stress they will be facing. Cancer is fueled by stress so that is the last thing we want for Lauren. Thank you all for your donations... you’re helping Lauren kick cancer's ASS!
Organizer and beneficiary
TC Collins
Organizer
Scottsdale, AZ
Lauren Davies-Belcher
Beneficiary
