Lauren's Village

Lauren Zawisza's Update I wanted to share an update about our dear friend Lauren and ask for your prayers and support for her and her family. Lauren has been diagnosed with stomach cancer and is currently working with her Penn medical team to finalize her treatment plan. Initial intervention starts on Friday, September 4th. Because they are still waiting on the biopsy results, there is a lot that they don’t know definitively. The current plan is to begin with chemotherapy, followed by a total gastrectomy, and then additional chemotherapy and treatment afterward. We will share more information as the doctors have a clearer picture. Lauren is open to encouragement, prayers, and text messages, and she truly appreciates the love and support. At the same time, I want to share something important on her behalf: she is finding it very difficult to manage other people’s emotions as they learn about her diagnosis. She went through this experience with her dad and understands how painful and overwhelming it can be for everyone involved. So while your outreach means a great deal to her, please don’t feel that you need to have the “right” words or that she needs to respond. Simple messages of love, encouragement, and prayer are enough. ❤️ The children are aware that their mom is sick, although the family is not specifically using the “C” word with them right now. For our kids, I’ve encouraged them to simply be really good friends to Lauren’s children—to listen, ask how they’re feeling, let them know they’re there for them, and remind them that their mom is going to overcome this. Most importantly, we are praying for Lauren and her family. If you’re interested in supporting the family in a tangible way, a few of us have come together to identify things that would specifically help Lauren and Andre and lighten the load for their family. We are working toward funding weekly laundry service, a meal train tailored to their family’s needs, and house cleaning. Please feel free to donate directly to Lauren's Venmo linked to this page. Thank you so much for loving Lauren, praying for her, and supporting their family as they walk through this incredibly difficult season. We’ll continue to keep you updated as we know more. ❤️