Lauren's Recovery From Open Heart Surgery

Dear Family & Friends,

We are writing to let you know that Lauren was unexpectedly diagnosed with a rare large tumor inside of her heart (left atrial myxoma). This was quite a shock to hear, as our Lauren has always been healthy and hasn’t had any heart complications in her past and there is no family history of heart issues.

Lauren had to undergo open heart surgery by way of sternal incision to remove the mass in her heart.

We admitted her to Scripps Memorial Hospital, Prebys Cardiovascular institute in La Jolla, where a great heart surgeon operated on her.

Thankfully, Lauren’s procedure was successful and the large mass (5.4cmX 2.1cm) removed out of her heart was confirmed benign.

She is now resting at home, recovering slowly for the next 4 months and starting cardiac rehab soon.

Lauren has dedicated her life to studying to become a physical therapist for the last 5+ years

(she is in a DPT program at St Augustine, San Marcos) and she is in the last year before she graduates. The hardest part for her hasn’t been the shock of finding out about this tumor nor the extreme physical pain endured during this process, but finding out that she will have to delay her studies and not graduate on time with her beloved cohort.

Lauren is not able to continue with her studies or work for some time ( 3-4 months) and this situation has created some financial hardships for our family. There are medical bills and living expenses that are now accumulating at an alarming rate.

This is a perfect reminder of how precious life in this world is and we should cherish every moment with our loved ones because circumstances can change in the blink of an eye.

Any help for Lauren to get back on her feet from our wonderful family and friends would be greatly appreciated and we would be eternally grateful. We want to thank everyone who has reached out with positive thoughts and keeping us in their prayers. We truly appreciate all of the love and support!

Love,

Sean & Lauren