Laura

Laura has been married for 41 years, and together she and her husband Paul have three adult children – Andrew, Alyssa, and Audrey, as well as four grandchildren. She is a practicing registered nurse since 1982, and is currently a nurse manager for school health, where she teaches new staff going into clinics. She enjoys gardening, Pilates, traveling, reading, home décor, and spending time at home with family and friends.

Laura’s cancer journey began in 1996 at the age of 35 when her mother, her best friend, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer despite yearly mammograms. The loss of her mother devastated Laura. At the same time, Laura’s aunt overcame breast cancer only to be diagnosed with colon cancer a few years later. At the time Laura found this odd, but it now makes sense with the knowledge that we now have of the CHEK2 mutation which puts one at high risk for breast, colon, and prostate cancer.

Laura was initially told she was not a candidate for genetic testing, but as the risk factor assessment advanced, she was actually found to be high risk and was referred to the high-risk breast center at Summa Health. This led to genetic testing, which revealed a positive result for the CHEK2 gene mutation. Laura was now eligible for prophylactic treatments, but when the advent of COVID-19 put elective surgeries on hold, she had time to consider all her available options. Rather than continuing with MRIs and mammography every six months, she began to think “was I just waiting for a positive result?” Thus, she made the decision to undergo a prophylactic double mastectomy with reconstruction in February of 2023. To date, she has had a total of four surgeries pre- and post-mastectomy.

Laura’s goal for her breast reconstruction was to look and feel as normal as possible in clothing, especially a bathing suit – given the time she and her husband spend at their home in Florida. She decided to undergo reconstruction with implants with Dr. Lewis Diulus, and is very happy with the physical result. She knows her mother never even had that choice, and feels that the most important thing is the mental result – “peace of mind knowing I have eliminated the fear that has been with me for so many years.”

Laura shares to other women going through a cancer diagnosis and the process of breast reconstruction surgery that, “I’m not going to lie…it’s not all wine and roses. It is a lot to go through. There are personal hurdles to overcome, but I advise you to discuss all options with your physician and then take time to decide what is best for you personally. This is definitely not a one-size-fits-all situation. Knowing reconstruction was possible with revisions as long as I should need them certainly made the whole idea of

a mastectomy more comforting to me personally even at my age. I believe I would have done it sooner had I had the information. All I know is you make the best decision you can based on where you are and what you are given at that moment in time. I also was blessed to have come to know a few wonderful gals who had gone through the same situation with the same docs.”

Laura chose to walk the Pink Runway in memory of her mother and aunt, who are why she is here today. “I feel in my heart that with the advancements in prevention and treatments we now have that they would also be survivors. And knowing that my children have the knowledge and power, though they have tested negative – nonetheless they have awareness, which is power for the future. And, I also honor all of these beautiful survivors who are here tonight!