Lauren’s Story

“Mom!” my daughter exclaimed, “Lauren has cancer”.

For a split second I thought I  heard wrong, but the fear on my daughter’s face told me otherwise.

“What do you mean cancer? She’s only sixteen and she looks perfectly healthy!”

I rushed to call her mom, who confirmed the bad news in between sobs : Lauren had been diagnosed with Lymphoma.

“It’s highly curable” she explained, “but it will be a tough season for our family. Only God can give us the strength and wisdom we desperately need to survive this nightmare.”

Prayer chains erupted throughout town. Their school set up a fund to help with medical costs and tuition.

While her parents were overwhelmed with the myriad of decisions and implications about her physical and emotional wellbeing, Lauren’s only prayer was for God to let her keep her long, blond hair.

We allowed my daughter to sit with her best friend through chemo treatments and to keep her company when she didn’t feel good. My heart ached as I watched Lauren miss football games and sleepovers to focus on fighting for her life.

Six months after that awful day she came over to our house. Chemo was almost over, and her body’s response proved so positive that doctors expected a full recovery.

“Do you mind telling me a little bit about your experience?” I asked. “I want to write an article about it.”

“An interview, cool!” she said, “What do you want to know?”

Q- What was your first reaction when you heard your diagnosis?

A-    I woke up from a nap to the sound of my mom sobbing. Both of my parents were sitting on my bed and my mom told me I had cancer. At first I was calm, I had no feelings, but when the oncologist told me I had stage 3 lymphoma I got angry.  I felt it was not fair for me to have to go through such painful treatment.

Q- How has your faith been affected by your ordeal?

A-    My faith went from just being there to super low when I was first diagnosed to super high now.  At first I didn’t see Him, but now I see how He was there through the entire thing.  Now I’m more sure of God than before I was diagnosed.

Q- What have you found most challenging about your experience?

A-    Losing most of my hair has been the hardest.  I have always considered it my best    feature and found security in it. Now, even though I only have two more chemo sessions, I will probably have to wear a wig.

Q-What did you not expect to find through all this?

A- How supportive the school   and everyone have been; I didn’t expect anyone to even notice.   From the beginning I got signs, presents and meals. My favorite is a brown teddy bear that comes with me to every chemo treatment.

“I gotta go,” she said as she checked her watch. “We’re going to the movies and I need to change.”

“How about you?” I asked my daughter when Lauren had left the room. “How do you feel after standing by your best friend through this ordeal?”

“I admire how strong she is”, she said, “and my faith in God is also stronger. Now I know that God is there even when hard things happen in our life.”

I felt proud of Lauren’s resilience and my daughter’s support of her friend. The battle was not over, but the war had already been won. Lauren’s body was weak, but her mind and spirit stood stronger than ever. She lost precious time, but she discovered new strength, faith and confidence that no one else could give her, not even her long, blonde hair.