My second email sent out to friends and family (originally sent Sep 7, 2011)

Hi everyone,

It's been about a week or so since I emailed you guys about what's going on, and we have a few updates now. We finally have a more clear picture as to what the treatment schedule is going to be! I go in to surgery next Wednesay the 14th to have my port put in and some lymph nodes out. Then the following Wednesday I get to start chemo. Finally, I'm on the schedule!

We have met with so many different doctors and have had complete "information overload" lately! We found out this week that chemo often brings on early menopause, so we met with a doctor at Seattle Reproductive Mediceine to discuss what I could do to stop that from happening. Turns out there's a drug I can take that should help. The drug is supposed to "help" in that the menopause will be temporary, not permanent. That is the hope. But the bad thing is that I'll be experiencing all the menopause symptoms along w/ all the chemo syptoms. (insert scared face). Then we met with the Radiation Oncologist who told me that after my mastectomy, I'll have to go in for radiation EVERY DAY for 6 weeks. So that shold be fun. Oh, and now they think my 3 tumors are just one big tumor, which kind of made me scared because that would mean it's 6cmx4x4, and would be considered stage 3 cancer. The doctor didn't seem too concerned about it, which is kind of annoying to me. By the time I start chemo, I will have waited almost 4 weeks for them to do anything.

Anyways, so far the worst part isn't the bad news we keep getting, but the time spent away from the kids. Today, afer 2 doctor appointments, I was so excited to go home and hug my girls and take them to a park or something, but the tech who was doing my MUGA scan told me to try not to touch my kids too much today because, well, I was radioactive. And we don't want to cook the kids, do we?! So I spent the day alone in Lynnwood trying not to touch people (and trying on wigs and shopping, and other errands!) I know you're probably asking yourselves, "Why in the world is Lauren complaining about getting to spend a beautiful afternoon shopping w/out kids?" Haha, ok, it wasn't really that bad. I bought myself a couple of super cute scarves to cover my head. The cancer made me do it.

There HAVE been some good things that have come of this, believe it or not. This experience has brought us closer as a family, so I'm grateful for that. We have been so very well taken care of by you, our family and friends. The love and support is actually overwhelming, and brings me to tears on a regular basis. Our kids have been so well cared for, meals have been spontaneously (it seems to me) brought to us, right when we most needed them, and this doesn't even include the fundraising efforts that are going on. I know there are garage sales being planned, a Zumba fundraiser, and t-shirts being created to sell as a fundraiser, plus 2 friends are donating the proceeds from their home based businesses to my fund. One friend, Laura, sells Mary Kay. Another sells Lia Sophia jewelry. So I'm putting the word out if you are interested in hosting a Mary Kay or Lia Sophia party, just let me know and I'll hook you up. I absolutely HATE asking for money but I'm sharing this with you guys because everyone has been asking what they could do to help. Ugh, that was uncomfortable wasn't it?

Sorry this email is so long, I guess I tend to ramble.

Love Lauren

My first email to my friends and family (originally sent Sep 1, 2011)

Hello dear friends and family,

Some of you already know that I was dignosed with stage 2 breast cancer last Friday. I just created this email group of my family members and some dear friends so I could keep you all updated on what is going on. I know sometimes people want to know but don't want to bother me to ask, so here ya go!

Next week I go in for a minor surgery to remove a few lymph nodes and to insert a "port" where they will administer the chemo. This port will stay in for about a year, because I have HER2 positive. This supposedly is good and bad. Good because they have amazingly effective drugs that can fight it, bad because the cancer is agressive and I have to go in every 3 weekds for a year to get the drug squirted in to my port. ;)

So chemo will begin next week (I think) and last for 3-4 months. The doctors all say I'll lose my hair so I went with my mom to the cancer resource center yesterday to see what free wigs they had and we walked away with the one that I hated the least! I definitely think I'll be a scarf girl, not a wig girl. But Trevor said we should go and actaully BUY one at a nice wig store. (anybody know one?) When or if my hair starts to fall out, we'll be hosting a "head shaving/dying pink" party, and anyone is welcome to come and shave or dye! Sound fun?

After chemo, I'll undergo surgery. I guess that will be my Christmas present! The doctors recommend a mastectomy because I have 3 different cancers and they have spread out in to more than one quadrant of my breast. One of them is rather close to chest muscle, which is a reason they want to do chemo first. To shrink the cancer away from the muscle a little bit. Now, because I am so young and because my grandma was so young when she was diagnosed with breast cancer (she was 42), they think I might be a carrier of the BRCA gene. I was tested for it on Monday and will have the results in about a week. If I do carry that gene, I am highly likely to get breast cancer again and they would recommend a bilateral mastectomy.

Now you know what I know!

Love Lauren