Help Lauren Battle Cancer
If you’re reading this and you have had the pleasure of interacting with Lauren, you are one of the lucky ones. Lauren is one of the strongest, most selfless and determined people that I have ever met. If you’re reading this and you haven’t met Lauren, then these words alone don’t do her justice.
Lauren and I have been friends for the better half of 15 years. Growing up, we were inseparable. We have been through good and bad, I stood beside her as she married the love of her life and we’ve both joined the journey of motherhood together. When Lauren shared the news with me that she had been diagnosed with Stage 3 Locally Advanced Hormone Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Breast Cancer, the news was nothing short of a shock and I was completely devastated for her. This is another journey that we, along with her friends and family, will embark on together.
LAUREN'S STORY
Lauren is a mother of a beautiful one-year old boy, Greyson. Her and her husband, Tyler, loved their little boy so much that they decided to have another baby and she got pregnant fairly quickly! At 18.5 weeks of being pregnant, she found out that she was going to be welcoming a sweet baby girl into this world in March 2020. This news undoubtedly filled them with excitement, as they were getting prepared to expand their family.
Fast forward two weeks later and this excitement was squashed with fear, as she found herself sitting in a breast assessment clinic having a lump checked in her breast. She had noticed the lump a few months prior but had assumed that the lump was her breast tissue changing, as she had stopped nursing Greyson only a few months prior, or possibly clogged milk ducts or cysts. At the young age of 28 years old, Lauren never expected to be told that she had cancer. Lauren's doctor had suspicion to believe that the lump was most likely cancerous and Lauren had to have a biopsy done to examine further.
On October 28th, Tyler's birthday, she was diagnosed with Borderline Stage 3 Breast Cancer that had spread to some lymph nodes.
LAUREN'S TREATMENT PLAN
Lauren's treatment plan is 4 rounds of Chemotherapy every 3 weeks, which will bring her to 37 weeks in her pregnancy, at which point she will will need to stop her Chemo treatments to rest and give birth to her baby girl. After her birth, she will have a few weeks to rest and recover and then she will be restarting 12 weeks of weekly Chemotherapy of a different drug. Upon the completion of her Chemo treatments, she will have surgery to remove the lump and affected lymph nodes. Due to her pregnancy, she is unable to have MRI's or CT Scans done, which would determine whether she will need a lumpectomy or mastectomy - she will be able to have these tests done after her delivery. After her surgery is done, she will have a month to heal, at which point she will then start 6 weeks of daily radiation to ensure the cancer is gone.
THE LONG ROAD AHEAD
There is no doubt that Lauren and her family have a long road ahead of them. The entire process from the day she was diagnosed until the completion of her treatment plan will be a year. Most people would be completely crushed by the news of a cancer diagnosis - especially on top of taking care of a busy toddler, going through the hormonal changes of pregnancy and taking on the daily household tasks.
But most people aren't Lauren.
Lauren is a fighter. She had a moment of devastation when the news hit her, as anyone would, but she held her head up and approached her first round of Chemotherapy on November 4th with high hopes and a positive attitude - she refuses to go down without a fight!
I am asking you to join us, Lauren's family and friends, to do just that - fight, and fight hard.
YOUR CONTRIBUTION
People often use the word "life-changing" for things like this, and although it seems cliche, it feels like it is the only word that seems fitting right now. It is fair to say that the word "life-changing" is an understatement when it comes to what Lauren and her family are going through right now.
Lauren was planning on picking up a side job to help with monthly expenses once she delivered her baby girl; this would allow her to stay home and raise her children. With the sudden news of her cancer and all the treatments that she will need to complete, this will no longer be an option for Lauren. Although Tyler has considered a short term parental leave from work to assist Lauren once the baby arrives, most of their time will be spent in and out of hospitals, attending appointments to further her road to recovery. This will require Lauren and Tyler to find alternative care to assist with their children and home life.
Lauren's plan for this pregnancy was to have a midwife. With the news of her cancer, she had to transfer her care to the McMaster Hospital for OB High Risk Care. This hospital is about a 50 minute drive from her house. This unexpected drive comes with gas and parking expenses that she had not originally anticipated when choosing to go with a midwife, which is local for her. She also has to go to daily treatments in Kitchener to continue treatment after the arrival of her baby girl, which also comes with similar unexpected expenses.
Lauren was determined with her first child to breastfeed. Although this was a struggle on it's own for her, she remained determined to provide nutrition for Greyson through nursing. Her breastfeeding journey was a hard journey to end when the time presented itself, but she was determined from the time she found out she was pregnant for the second time that she would attempt breastfeeding again, as it was an emotional and physical attachment that she thoroughly enjoyed with Greyson. Due to the Chemotherapy and Radiation treatments, Lauren will be unable to breastfeed her baby girl. This comes with unexpected costs of having to purchase formula and provide nutrition to her baby through other means.
Alongside all these personal losses that Lauren has had to come to terms with, she also has the expense of medication that she may need to purchase throughout the duration and upon completion of her treatments.
We want Lauren to be able to fight cancer and kick it's butt! Your contribution will allow her to put 100% of her energy into treatment and recovery, and allow Tyler to focus his time on caring for his family.
HELP SPREAD THE WORD
We want to tell Lauren's story in hopes that friends and strangers alike will be inspired to help and pray for Lauren and Tyler in their fight against breast cancer. Whether or not you contribute financially, we ask that you support them by posting a pink breast cancer ribbon on social media, with a link to this page and the hashtag #LaurBeatsCancer. Individuals can also offer their support and guidance by following her journey on Instagram: laurbeatscancer - any constant reminder that she is loved, supported and not alone as she fights this battle with cancer.
