Meal Support for Lauren Ott

I don’t think there is anyone on earth easier to love than Lauren Ott. She is the kindest and most hospitable person I’ve ever known. Lauren’s cancer diagnosis in July came as a shock to so many of us (If you didn't see Mike's Facebook post regarding diagnosis, please see below for details).

As we’ve asked Mike and Lauren over the past few months how we can support them during this difficult time, their only answer has been to pray for them. So we have prayed and prayed and will continue to ask God for full healing and strength for each day. Lauren’s faith, hope, and strength during this time has been amazing to watch. As she prepares for surgery on October 19, we asked the Otts if we could set something up to make life a little easier on them during the recovery period. We discussed a meal train, and along those lines, what they said would help them the most on a practical level after surgery would be a Door Dash gift card that could cover ordering in meals at their convenience for the coming weeks and months.

That is what this GoFundMe page is for specifically. The initial $3000 will be used for a large Door Dash gift card. Any amount beyond that will be used to cover additional costs they have incurred due to this very unexpected diagnosis and life change.

On behalf of Lauren & Mike, thank you so much for coming alongside them in this way!

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Mike’s Facebook post from 10/10/23:

Beloved friends and family -

First off, I’d be remiss if I didn’t begin this post with a massive thank you. Your care, concern, and prayers for Lauren and our family have been tangibly felt since her cancer diagnosis back on July 27. Lauren says she feels the person of Jesus by her side day and night, holding her in a way she has never experienced. Thank you all for calling on His name on our behalf for this peace. He listens and provides.

Since this is our first public post since the diagnosis, let me start with a recap before providing the latest update. Earlier this year, Lauren felt a lump in her neck that continued to grow. Doctors said it was too small to worry about but told her to keep watching it. A few months later it grew from unnoticeable to 1.5cm, at which time we got it biopsied, and it came back as melanoma. Those first few hours after getting the results left us numb and anxious as to where to go from here, but here’s when our incredible support system went right to work. Doug Ulman - friend, former boss, and CEO of Pelotonia - told us to send him the pathology results right away so he could send them out to his vast network of oncologists. I have seen Doug help countless people in our shoes over the years, but I wasn’t sure exactly what it would look like for us. Well, here’s what it looked like. I woke up the next morning at 6:30am to an email already in my inbox from Dr. Mike Caliguiri - former CEO of The James and current President at City of Hope in LA - expressing his sympathies but laying out a detailed plan of attack. An hour later, Dr. Vijay Trisal - Chief Medical Officer at City of Hope - called us and gave us tremendous hope and reassurance that he and his team were going right to work to help Lauren. All of this within 15 hours of the initial diagnosis!

PET scans showed 3 masses - the one in her neck, one 5 inches below that on her upper back, and one in her pelvic area. Not worst case scenario, but close. Her organs and brain were free of tumors, but the location of the 3 tumors present meant it was a stage 4 situation and immunotherapy treatment needed to commence immediately. After 2 rounds of treatment, doctors decided to remove the tumors from her upper back and pelvic area to have them biopsied to confirm the stage 4 melanoma diagnosis. To our shock and the doctors’, one came back benign, and the other a different type of low-grade cancer. They said that for someone her age to have 2 different forms of cancer 5 inches apart, it’s almost unheard of. But the tumor in her neck was confirmed as melanoma by 2 different labs, so, well, yeah.

Here’s where the latest update from today comes in. They decided to stop treatment and remove the tumor from her neck and all surrounding lymph nodes as well as her parotid gland so they can re-biopsy the entire tumor and determine the best path forward. This surgery is scheduled for October 19, with results the week to follow. Recovery will be slow, and there are risks associated with the surgery due to the amount of facial nerves they’re needing to work around and keep intact.

Thank you again from the depths of our hearts for carrying us through this along with our amazing, selfless parents and our Jesus. I’ll put together another update later this month when the picture becomes a bit clearer.