Hello Friends!

Michelle here, Lauren’s bestie (who also happens to be an MD, which is coming in quite handy right now).

The Short Story:

WHO: Lauren Arrow!

WHAT: A giant (15lb) ovarian mass named Lenore, causing Lauren a lot of pain. We will find out in surgery if it is cancerous.

WHEN: Surgery is June 25th, until then she is mostly on bedrest and on a lot of pain meds. After surgery will be an 8 week recovery time.

WHERE: Currently in Sebastopol, will recover in Larkspur and Sebastopol. Lenore will be kept by Kaiser in San Francisco, AKA: the pasture where tumors go to live out their last days.

HOW can I help?: Donate to help bridge these months where Lauren can't work, send her a lot of love and vibes, share this gofundme (sharing is caring).

The Long Story:

WHO: Lauren Arrow! If you are lucky enough to know Lauren, then you know that she is full of life, love, and song. Unfortunately, her voice is a little quieter these days as she is facing a major life altering health challenge.

Lauren has been self employed for 15 years and dedicates her life to helping folks move past shame, and embrace their creativity, their voice, and their authenticity. She uses her glorious voice to lead us all in prayer, in joy, and in community. She is the cantorial soloist at Chochmat Halev, and has had to cancel a handful of upcoming festival gigs so that she can heal. Let's show up as a community to reflect back the love that Lauren shares with us.

WHAT(?!): For the past year, Lauren has felt a little off. For the past few months she has been getting full faster and feeling uncomfortable. Singing has felt painful at times. At the beginning of May, after experiencing more abdominal pain and going a week of barely being able to eat (and we all know how much joy food brings Lauren) she went to the doctor and a workup was started.

On May 16th, Lauren presented to the emergency room because her pain had become intolerable. That is where scans showed that she had a giant tumor in her pelvis, stemming from her right ovary. When I say giant, I mean a beach ball sized mass that likely weighs over 15lbs. In true Lauren fashion, she immediately named the tumor Lenore and decided that a musical would be made to enact Lenore's journey. Check out the first act of the musical: Lenore the Tumor

In the ER there were lots of laughs, but there were also lots of tears. We didn't know exactly what this tumor was, or how scared we should be. Life got very real, very fast.

Answer's have continued to be hard to come by. Here is what we know so far based on scans and tests: ovarian masses are on a spectrum of benign -> borderline -> cancerous. Her scans show that Lenore is either borderline or cancerous, but we won't know which until her surgery. Lauren will wake up from surgery not knowing how many parts of hers were removed.

During surgery they will take Lenore out and have a good look (send frozen sections to the pathology lab). We are hoping that the tumor is classified as borderline. If that is the case, then Lauren’s ovary and fallopian tube will be removed with the tumor. If it is cancerous then she will need a total hysterectomy and likely appendectomy, in addition to lymph node biopsy to see if there has been any spread.

Symptoms have been challenging as Lauren is experiencing a lot of pain and discomfort requiring around the clock medication. She is on some serious pain meds, finding comfort and humor most of the time, but is unable to engage in regular life as she has to be able to lay down when the pain flairs up.

WHERE: She is currently mostly spending time at her new home in Sebastopol with her angel of a partner, Campbell. After her surgery, she will spend some time recovering at her parents’ house in Larkspur as well as Sebastopol. Much to Lauren’s dismay, Lenore will be kept by Kaiser in San Francisco. We will keep Lenore’s memory alive via a musical that is in the works, with the operatic powerhouse Alexander Kugler already cast as Lenore.

WHEN: June 25th is the scheduled surgery date. She is on the waitlist in case any openings come up sooner. Kaiser has had a major backlog with their operating rooms so there is a longer than usual wait. It is frustrating to wait, but Lauren is moving through this all with grace and humor.

HOW can I help?: Financial support to bridge her during these months where she can't work is the biggest form of support. Her work is her voice, her energy, and her spirit. Having a big abdominal surgery means that she won't be able to jump right back into work once the tumor is out, as the recovery will be long.