Letter from Lauren

In March 2012, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. At the time, I was traveling across the country teaching workshops on sound healing, vocalizing, and working with crystal singing bowls. I was in the prime of my life—at my long-sought-after perfect weight and feeling healthier than ever before.
This book is about my journey—a journey of healing with cAnswer (yes, I renamed and reframed it because words matter!). It’s about using the tools that mainstream medicine could provide, including chemotherapy (or as I lovingly called it, Chemo/Dreamo), while reshaping my beliefs about what healing could look like. I’ll admit, I had tremendous resistance to conventional medicine. My background in holistic healing had taught me to view treatments like chemotherapy as poison. But I quickly realized that holding on to that belief would not assist in my healing. So, I shifted my perspective.
Since then, I experienced two more rounds of Chemo/Dreamo—in 2014 and 2016—and with each round, I dove deeper into myself, exploring how to "do it differently" and even "have fun with it." Yes, fun. How do you have fun with cAnswer? By changing the way you think about it—by changing your beliefs.
My first book, Holy Shift! Everything's a Gift, chronicles my original diagnosis and treatment in 2012, a time when I had the loving support of both my parents. My second round of treatment in 2014 ended just as my mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cAnswer, which she passed from in April 2015. My father passed a year later. So, when it came time for a third round in 2016, I knew I had to create my own support system. I called upon my community for strength and music, inviting friends to accompany me and sing with me during my treatments. And so, my Chemo-Sabe was born!
Each cAnswer adventure has brought new journeys, profound lessons, and incredible growth—so much so that each deserves its own book. Holy Shift! Here We Grow Again! will reflect on my second cAnswer Dance and my parents’ passing. Holy Shift! Third Time’s the Charm will share new ways to approach treatment and healing with love, laughter, and song.
I envisioned cAnswer centers across the country adopting a new way of treating illness—centers filled with love, laughter, and music.
Holy Shift! Everything really is a gift.
Blessings,
Lauren
This book is about my journey—a journey of healing with cAnswer (yes, I renamed and reframed it because words matter!). It’s about using the tools that mainstream medicine could provide, including chemotherapy (or as I lovingly called it, Chemo/Dreamo), while reshaping my beliefs about what healing could look like. I’ll admit, I had tremendous resistance to conventional medicine. My background in holistic healing had taught me to view treatments like chemotherapy as poison. But I quickly realized that holding on to that belief would not assist in my healing. So, I shifted my perspective.
Since then, I experienced two more rounds of Chemo/Dreamo—in 2014 and 2016—and with each round, I dove deeper into myself, exploring how to "do it differently" and even "have fun with it." Yes, fun. How do you have fun with cAnswer? By changing the way you think about it—by changing your beliefs.
My first book, Holy Shift! Everything's a Gift, chronicles my original diagnosis and treatment in 2012, a time when I had the loving support of both my parents. My second round of treatment in 2014 ended just as my mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cAnswer, which she passed from in April 2015. My father passed a year later. So, when it came time for a third round in 2016, I knew I had to create my own support system. I called upon my community for strength and music, inviting friends to accompany me and sing with me during my treatments. And so, my Chemo-Sabe was born!
Each cAnswer adventure has brought new journeys, profound lessons, and incredible growth—so much so that each deserves its own book. Holy Shift! Here We Grow Again! will reflect on my second cAnswer Dance and my parents’ passing. Holy Shift! Third Time’s the Charm will share new ways to approach treatment and healing with love, laughter, and song.
I envisioned cAnswer centers across the country adopting a new way of treating illness—centers filled with love, laughter, and music.
Holy Shift! Everything really is a gift.
Blessings,
Lauren