Lauren is the brightest, most vibrant person you will ever know. Her aura just shines. That light started to dim quite a bit in June 2025. She had a chronic cough and diffulty eating, breathing, and just living her day-to-day life. For about 6 months she had several round of antibiotics and steroids - nothing seemed to help. She was treated for asthma and allergies - nothing changed. On December 22, she finally got an x-ray and some blood work done. The x-ray was so concerning that the doctor had her come in for an emergency CT scan that same night. When the results came back, it showed that she had a large mass in her chest and fluid on her heart and lungs. The results were consistent with lymphoma. It's hard to describe the juxtaposition between the relief of knowing what has been wrong for so long and the devastation that comes with a cancer diagnosis. You feel heard and validated - this thing has a name. But then you are also terrified, angry, sad ... and just overwhelmed. After two biopsies, it was confirmed that Lauren had Hodgkin's Lymphoma. She spent about a week in the hospital where they took about liter of fluid off of her heart and another liter of fluid off of one of her lungs. On top of that, the mass in her chest is about the size of a grapefruit. On January 26, she had her first chemo treatment. She was a champ! But she has many months of treatment ahead if her. She is currently staying at her mom's house with her daughter, Lennon. Her family has really jumped in to provide as much support as possible. Rides to doctor's appointments, dinners, help with rent or utilities, etc. But even with all the family help, it's a lot. While Lauren goes through treatment, her family must also take care of themselves - if we are sick, we can't be there for her. If you are able to help lighten this burden, we would all greatly appreciate it. We will keep this site updated with needs, pictures, and milestones through this journey. We are so appreciative of our community and all of those who have already reached out or provided help. It means more than you will ever know.