Featuring Lauren Tarpley, Author and Breast Cancer Survivor

 


Photography By: Jody Mack Photography
Photos also provided by: Lauren




Me: Hi Lauren, thanks so much for the opportunity to be on my blog. Can you please share with everyone just a little about yourself?

Hi! My name is Lauren and I am 37. I live in Charleston and I work in tech. I have been married for 5 1/2 years and I am a mother of two kiddos: a 4yr old son and a 4-month-old daughter... I had my son before cancer and my daughter after. They (all) keep me on my toes! 





Me: You were diagnosed with breast cancer at what age?

I was diagnosed at the age of 34 with Stage 2 breast cancer. 





Me: I know many are curious, to know what the signs were for you. What made you get checked?

I had a nagging and dull pain in my armpit, high blood pressure that came out of nowhere, it was nearly unresponsive to meds, my acid reflux was unresponsive to meds, and I had inexplicable weight gain. 

Me: Did you have a good support system team?

I had an amazing support system in my family. Both our parents live around 30ish minutes away and my husband is just the best. A few friends stuck around but the majority of them fell off. My son was 17 months old at the time of diagnosis and it was in the thick of covid and covid so there were a lot of things at play. 

Me: What were some uncomfortable things people have asked you or said?

OMG! The craziest thing to me is when people told and still do tell me about people they know & family members that were diagnosed with cancer and they died. That isn't helpful. That is scary. It's mentally super harmful. Also, people that I don't know personally have asked to feel my reconstructed chest... That's just ODD!

Me: When you shaved your head what emotions went through your head?

It was weirdly relieving... I will explain. I had my Chemo Teach and they told me 99% of people lose their hair with chemo. There was a small sliver of hope that I would be the 1% but my hair started falling out after my second cycle of chemo. I had already gotten my hair cut into a pixie so the hair loss wouldn't be so dramatic and so when it started falling out it was sad, but I felt like I did what I was supposed to prepare for what was actually happening. My husband shaved my head so that made it less jarring and it brought us closer together. I cried but I was a puddle of a mess during treatment. 

Me: You wrote books. Tell us a little about each of them.  




Oh, my books. ♥ That is one of the most shocking things to come out of this journey. I NEVER thought I would write a book and I am up to 5 now. 
  • Type A Guide to Cancer- A step by step guide to being diagnosed and getting through treatment. I touch on grants and racial disparities and how to get through it!
  • Too Many Cells- This is a children's book that explores having a family member going through treatment and shows parents how to include children in the conversation. They see and understand more than we think they do so it is invaluable to be as transparent as appropriate per the age of the child. 
  • Muchas Celulas- This is 'Too Many Cells' in Spanish. Language barriers can exacerbate racial disparities in medicine, so I wanted to put this book out in more than one language. 
  • Type A Guide to Survivorship- Survivorship is a whole different 'battle' than being in active treatment. It's more mental. I wrote this book to let survivors know that they're seen, heard and not alone. We tackle topics like survivor's guilt, mental health and the journey of reconstruction.
  • Mom's Don't Get Sick Days- This is a story with morals that everyone should help out and contribute around the house in their own way. Again, age appropriately. Moms don't get sick days and if they took one what on earth would happen?!

Me: How can your books be purchased?
All of the books are on Amazon and other ways to purchase are through Walmart, Target, Books-a-Million & Barnes and Noble.

Me: Please share with us your social media pages?
You can find me under the handle @typeaguidetocancer on most social media platforms. 

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