Lauren’s Journey: Embracing Life, Love, and the Unforgettable Moments Ahead

Love Bombs
Written By Brooke Taylor, Board Chair

Meet Lauren, a vibrant spirit from Chicago who has transformed her life in Arizona over the past 25 years. After a brief winter stay in Arizona that turned into a permanent move, Lauren has embraced her new home with open arms. A passionate educator, she dedicated nearly a decade of her life working for the Boys and Girls Club, nurturing the dreams and ambitions of young children. As a proud Pole and the first in her family born in America, Lauren has infused her love for her heritage into her teaching, even sharing her native language with the next generation.

But Lauren's life took an unexpected turn in July 2022 when she was diagnosed with early stage 4 triple-negative breast cancer. What was meant to be a joyous time—she was engaged and preparing to buy a home—quickly morphed into a daunting reality filled with scans, biopsies, and treatments. “The day we closed on our house was also the day of my first chemo treatment,” she recalls, a hint of humor breaking through the weight of her circumstances. Cancer had a way of interrupting her plans, causing her to postpone not only the renovations of her new home but also her wedding plans.

During the past two years, Lauren has endured a grueling treatment regimen, including 16 rounds of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and 30 rounds of radiation. The journey has been fraught with challenges—hospital visits, severe anemia from her current oral chemotherapy medication, and ultimately the loss of her job due to extended medical leave. “I’m looking to find work again while managing my daily fatigue,” she admits, yet her spirit remains unyielded.

What stands out most about Lauren is her unwavering resilience. “I have faced my diagnosis head-on and pushed forward despite constantly hearing phrases like ‘this does not look good,’” she shares, a testament to her strength and determination. With her fiancé, Paul, by her side—who adopted their rescue dog, Domino, during her treatment—Lauren has found joy even in the darkest moments. “Domino has been a huge, uplifting presence during such a dark time,” she explains, laughing as she talks about her family life with Paul and their beloved pup.

Now, as she approaches her milestone 40th birthday, Lauren has big dreams for an unforgettable trip to Hawaii in April. With a Love Bomb, she plans to create cherished memories through activities and photos during their time in Kona. “I want to do a luau, visit Volcanoes National Park, and finally have the engagement shoot I never got to have,” she shares, excitement sparkling in her eyes. This trip is not just a celebration; it represents a victory against the odds and a chance to relish life in full color after being told she may not even reach this birthday.

Having grown up with the looming shadow of breast cancer, Lauren is all too familiar with the heartache it can bring. She lost her mother at just 34, and other family members have faced similar battles. “It’s literally in my DNA,” she reflects. Despite the statistics and knowing the odds are not in her favor, Lauren embraces the present, reveling in the joy of life and the love of her family. “You can’t have a rainbow without a little rain, right?” she muses, embodying the spirit of hope and resilience.

As Lauren embarks on this new chapter of her life, she remains grateful for every moment, fiercely holding onto her dreams while navigating the complexities of her health journey. With the support of the Love Bomb, she looks forward to making memories that will shine bright against the backdrop of adversity, proving that life can still be beautiful, even when faced with a difficult prognosis.

Brooke Taylor, Board Chair

Brooke Clay Taylor is the founder of the Rural Gone Urban Foundation, a nonprofit born from her belief in supporting women who are tough as nails—women who don’t let the weight of the world break them.

A ranch girl at heart and a toddler mom, Brooke’s life has been anything but ordinary. Raised on a farm in Indiana, she learned early on that life isn’t fair, but it’s worth fighting for. At six, she lost her dad to colon cancer. By junior high, she traded her small-town roots for life on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma, and by high school, was already proving the world wrong when a guidance counselor deemed her “not college material.”

Brooke’s journey hasn’t been a straight line. After over a decade working in agriculture marketing with internationally recognized brands, she bet on herself and started her own business from the ground up, with just one client and a lot of faith. In 2019, when she gave birth to her daughter, she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. After a season of intense treatment, she was declared cancer-free, but life threw her a curveball when cancer returned in 2022 for round two. And yet, through every challenge, she’s never had to face it alone.

Brooke believes that while you can do a lot on your own, it’s the people in your corner that make the difference. It was this belief that led her to launch the Rural Gone Urban Foundation in 2022, a place for women in need of support—whether they’re pursuing education, building businesses, or battling cancer.

As a self-proclaimed “B student” and a mom to a 5-year-old, Brooke wants women to know they’re worthy of support, regardless of their GPA or their business’s current state. Her foundation is here to help women write their own stories of strength, resilience, and success.

In Brooke’s world, there’s no such thing as too much support—whether you’re in the ring with cancer, starting a business, or just trying to make it through another day.

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