Lauren was diagnosed with Stage IV
Neuroblastoma just one month before her 15th birthday. It was a weekend
morning and I went in her bedroom to wake her. I started tickling her
and palpated an extremely large mass in her abdomen. It felt like a
football. As a nurse, I knew something was wrong, and took her to the
emergency room. After having emergency surgery, a 15.5 pound mass was
removed from her pelvis, along with an ovary and numerous lymph nodes.
It took what seemed like years to finally get a diagnosis. Her case is
quite rare in that Neuroblastoma typically occurs in children under the
age of six. Prior to her diagnosis, Lauren was a remarkable young lady,
and she continues to shine through her journey after diagnosis. She
excelled in school and was in the top three of her class. With school
being so important to her, she has continued by taking her classes
on-line through a virtual school. She was a competitive dancer, however
has been unable to dance since her treatment began. She is a loving
daughter, sister and friend. Lauren has completed six rounds of
chemotherapy. She had high dose chemotherapy prior to her stem cell
transplant. She then had 12 rounds of radiation. Currently she is
enrolled in a study where she receives antibody therapy. This portion of
her treatment has been the most difficult for her.
Lauren's caringbridge: http://
Hope Session by Lilyta Photography
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