Do it scared anyways

Lauren Simmons

Do it scared anyways. That’s what Lauren Simmons tells the girls in her Girl Scout Troop all the time. Fear is normal, but it is something that can be managed and that you can overcome. It’s OK to be scared; it’s how you move forward from there that matters. So, when Simmons found out she had breast cancer, her own words are ones that she focused on.

“Having strength and courage in adversity is the most important thing I can teach these girls, and I intend to keep on doing just that.,” Simmons said. “When I found out I had breast cancer one of my first thoughts was the things I have told those girls so many times. I was scared. And that’s OK. DO IT SCARED ANYWAY!”

Simmons has stage 2A triple positive invasive mammary carcinoma, meaning that both progesterone and estrogen feed her tumor, and her body produces too much too quickly of the HER2 protein that makes her tumor aggressive and very fast growing. About 10 percent of breast cancers are the same specific type.

“I found the lump in May,” Simmons said and explained that the lump started as a nickel-sized spot and grew to the size of a golf ball in just a matter of weeks. “Honestly, I think I sort of knew from that moment that’s what it was. Like some sick joke, I kept getting this little push in my mind that that’s what it was. Kept seeing disgustingly pink reminders everywhere. I received the official diagnosis right after my 32nd birthday, in June.”

While she said she knew that cancer was going to be her official diagnosis, it still wasn’t easy, and, due to her young age, it was difficult to get doctors to listen to her concerns and get the appropriate testing started.

“I was angry. I had a difficult time getting the VA to even acknowledge it, so I spent a lot of time mad and fighting for imaging,” Simmons said, who once served in the U.S. Armed Force. “Once I was diagnosed, I actually felt sort of a wave of relief having finally been validated.”

Simmons feels lucky the cancer was confined to the one initial lump she found. During screening, doctors found several more lumps scattered throughout both of her breasts, however, they were determined to be non-cancerous. Then things began moving quickly, and a treatment plan was set.

“Within a week I had met with most of my oncology team. They’re all amazing. Lucky for me, the Nashville VA doesn’t actually have a legit cancer center, so the fancy doctors from Vanderbilt cancer come down to the VA once a week to treat veterans,” she explained, confirming that she is taking her chemotherapy treatments at the VA and is scheduled for a double mastectomy,, in December, before she undergoes even more treatments. “I am the youngest on their VA client list by multiple decades and one of very few females,” she said.

Simmons had lab work done to determine the cause of her cancer, and it was found to not be genetic.

“My cancer is not genetic as far as testing can tell,” she said. “My care team is convinced that it’s environmental due to the nature of my job when I was active duty.

“All of my fellow Maintainer friends: NEWSFLASH! All of those chemicals on the flight line do, in fact, cause cancer. Environmental factors from all of those fun chemicals you’re constantly covered in and overexposure to radio emissions on the flight line have potentially, and very likely, played a huge role in kickstarting this, at least that is the only connection my oncology team and I can make since genetics does not have anything to do with it as far as science can tell for now. So we are fighting the uphill battle and working to get this service connected to aid in reporting and tracking for others that may be in a similar situation.”

While one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, Simmons advocates that every single person will be affected by breast cancer in some capacity and reminds people that breast cancer doesn’t just happen to women, men can get it too.

“Breast screenings do not happen soon enough. More and more women below the age of 40 are being diagnosed and are much more progressed Stage wise, than they would have been if they had received early screenings,” she said. “BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE. You know your body better than anyone. If something feels off, go see the doctor. Don’t let them write your off or tell you you’re too young. Keep pushing until you’re satisfied with your care.”

As for now, as for home, as for the next several years of living with this diagnosis, Simmons said she doesn’t want pity and that she actually hesitated to tell anyone about her diagnosis for that reason. She also said that she knows how important a support team is and that after making the announcement, her team has stepped up and been the best team she could ask for.

“My husband and children have been absolutely amazing since day one,” she said.

Simmons said that telling her children was the hardest thing to do, but after having time to process, they came up with what she calls a battle plan and have been fighting for her ever since.

“My volunteer team with Girl Scouts has really stepped up and cooked meals for my family on treatment days and have been doing an amazing job leading the troop while I’m focusing on my health,” she said. “I have spent a lot of time in prayer and focusing on the story in Joshua 1:6. This entire ordeal has really strengthened my relationship with Jesus and faith in God’s promise.”

Her breast cancer journey has given Simmons a new outlet to use to inspire the girls she mentors through her Girl Scouts troop, and she hopes they will see her as an inspiration and that she brings them strength for their own personal life-journeys, whatever they may be.

“It is important for girls to have positive role models and women that they can see being successful. So often girls are underrepresented in all aspects of society. I want girls to see that they can do anything they put their minds to. I also want them to see that it’s OK to be scared and to know how important it is to be your own advocate and stand up for yourself and others,” she said. “These girls have such huge potential and are capable of BIG, amazing things, and I know that all they need is that little push to take that leap to accomplish their goals.”

Simmons knows that while she is hoping to be an inspiration to the girls who look up to her, she, too, needs someone to look to and provide strength and wisdom and inspiration during these times, and she says she has found an online community filled with thousands of women who are on this journey together.

“Some are just starting out, some are in the middle of it, some have been walking this path for decades,” she explained and further stated that no matter what stage of the journey they are in, they are all giving each other the support they need in the moment they need it most. “They are a wealth of knowledge that I am so incredibly grateful for. They really have been a guiding beacon of light.

“My biggest piece of advice to give to anyone that has just received that big scary diagnosis is to just breathe. This whole process just feels like a whole bunch of hurry up and wait. Everyone’s journey is different, so don’t compare yours to someone else. You are so much stronger than you think you are. You CAN do this.”

And, of course, she reminds herself, her girls, her family, her friends, and anyone who listens, fear of the uncertain is normal. It’s how you react that matters. “Do it scared anyways!”