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Gratitude
Being the week of Thanksgiving it is hard not to think of what you are grateful for. Being a few days out from my mastectomy, I am...

Lauren Wiatrek
Nov 22, 20172 min read


Silos + Homestead
I had three weeks to fill my schedule with fun excursions, before it was time for my mastectomy. One thing on my fall to do list was to...

Lauren Wiatrek
Nov 20, 20173 min read


Ann Arbor
After my diagnosis with breast cancer, my husband and I decided that choosing experiences over stuff was vital. The first opportunity we...

Lauren Wiatrek
Nov 18, 20178 min read


Farewell Letter to my Breasts
I know this seems odd…to write a letter to my chest. But for me, they have done so much, and not only for me but for my daughters. I had...

Lauren Wiatrek
Nov 16, 20173 min read


Jitters
I remember having pre-game jitters as a kid...t-ball. Being the center of attention when you were up to bat and that nervousness that...

Lauren Wiatrek
Nov 16, 20172 min read


Hardly Recognizable
Here I am four months after all my hair fell out. It was a traumatic scene for me (read about it here) and what felt like it would take...

Lauren Wiatrek
Nov 10, 20173 min read


So much more than a football game.
Ever since I was a little girl I recall Saturday mornings like they were yesterday. My mom worked so she would bake blueberry muffins,...

Lauren Wiatrek
Nov 8, 20174 min read


My circus, my monkeys.
I was told recently that there’s an old Polish (my acquired heritage by marriage) saying that goes, “Not my circus, not my monkeys.” And...

Lauren Wiatrek
Nov 5, 20176 min read


Five months and 2 days. #nomochemo
When I first walked in to the chemotherapy room I cried. The sad, slow, tears streaming down my face, and trembling…I was scared. But...

Lauren Wiatrek
Oct 27, 20174 min read


The struggle is real {with chemo brain}.
Whenever we had Chemo 101, a class given a week before chemotherapy started I was told about all the side effects of chemo. Chemo brain...

Lauren Wiatrek
Oct 19, 20173 min read


Choose joy. Be a beacon of light.
I had a hard weekend. I let darkness creep into my mind, and instead of my sweeping it aside like my normally happy-go-lucky self does, I...

Lauren Wiatrek
Oct 19, 20175 min read


It is well with my soul.
This is a two-part blog, first part is about my faith and my mental stability throughout this whole battle. The second part is about my...

Lauren Wiatrek
Oct 13, 20175 min read


Tuesdays.
Tuesdays have quickly become one of my favorite days of the week. It all starts with coffee and front porch sitting with my Halen girl,...

Lauren Wiatrek
Oct 10, 20173 min read


What I Think About All The Pink
A Breast Cancer Survivor's Perspective As I am rounding out my chemotherapy treatments in October, it is impossible to miss all the...

Lauren Wiatrek
Oct 7, 20176 min read


A sweet friendship refreshes the soul. Proverbs 27:9
Why are sleepovers only a thing for our youth? I think spending some quality time with women is incredibly important. Women need other...

Lauren Wiatrek
Oct 2, 20173 min read


Pink Warrior Angels
When I started this life with cancer, I had no idea the mental and emotional toll it would take. It all seemed very physical to me at...

Lauren Wiatrek
Sep 29, 20176 min read


Even If
This battle has ebbed and flowed all over my heart…my mental state… my view. Holy of holies. It is hard. I know on the outside I speak...

Lauren Wiatrek
Sep 22, 20172 min read


Cancer burst my bubble.
While at my healing retreat this past weekend, we talked about a lot of stuff. The biggest topic was almost like cancer patients on one...

Lauren Wiatrek
Sep 19, 20174 min read


Kicking Fear to the Curb Ninja Style...It's Bucket List Time
I want to begin by saying I am not a hypochondriac whatsoever... I am not a germaphobe either. I am not used to being “careful” or...

Lauren Wiatrek
Sep 13, 20173 min read


Hey hey 33.
Tomorrow I turn 33 years old. I have always been a birthday person, well I have always been a celebration person…any reason for a...

Lauren Wiatrek
Sep 10, 20172 min read
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