Support Lauren Ebbin's Fight Against Cancer

Lauren Ebbin is an incredible human being, sister, daughter, girlfriend, best friend, and more to a lot of people. She is fighting metastatic breast cancer (stage IV) at only 34 years old. We want to raise this money to support Lauren so that she can focus all of her energy on beating cancer and not have to worry about how she will support herself and pay her bills.

Lauren was originally diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in January of this year, after finding a lump through a self-examination. Since that time, the cancer has spread to her bones and liver. Due to the cancer in her bones, she experienced a fracture in the L3 in her spine and at the top of her left femur. She started chemo on May 30th, with the plan of completing 6 sessions over the next few months, with the last one being in October. She has been valiantly tackling the chemo sessions, keeping a remarkably positive attitude that has blown all of us away, even through some unexpected roadblocks, such as an infection in her port that put her in the hospital and caused delays in her treatment, and a bout of COVID. Her white blood cell (WBC) count was extremely low due to the chemo, so she had to start at-home injections (Zarxio), which have been helping raise her counts up, but make her feel like she has the flu and her bones are cramping.

The day before what she believed was her second-to-last chemo treatment (#5), Lauren was told by her oncologist that she will not be stopping after 6 sessions, but will instead continue treatment every 3 weeks until it either stops working, or the side effects outweigh the benefits (for example: neuropathy, heart problems, etc.). The current estimate is that it could be 8-12 sessions, but this could change. The good news about this is that the treatment is working, and that is why the oncologist is continuing the treatment. At her most recent scans, she was told that her liver lesions have significantly improved and her bone lesions are stable, as compared to her scans a few months back.

To find out that instead of being almost done with treatment, she is not even halfway, has been a hard mental shift for Lauren and her loved ones. The celebratory trip she and her boyfriend have planned to Aruba in October will no longer mark the end of chemo, but will hopefully still provide her a bit of joy and well-deserved relaxation. This update to her treatment plan also presents some logistical issues with her medical leave and her ability to cover her expenses. She has used up her FMLA and is currently on an unpaid leave from work. She is planning to return to work in October, but is considering her oncologist's advice to go on permanent disability, as working while going through this uphill and exhausting battle is almost unfathomable.

Lauren currently lives in NJ with her incredibly supportive boyfriend, Greg, and their two pups, Winnie and Frankie. They made the exciting decision to buy a house at the very end of 2023, not knowing that this battle and all of the associated costs were coming. This money will be used to help her pay her mortgage, medical, and other bills needed to support herself. We would love to be able to raise enough for her to be able to take more time off from work and solely focus on her recovery.

Any amount you can give will be incredibly appreciated. Let's show Lauren how much she is loved and help support her on her mission to kick cancer's butt!

You can follow her journey and see updates on her treatment on her CaringBridge page here.