Lauren Oxenhandler was diagnosed at 30 with triple negative breast cancer. She is a life coach, and identifies as a seeker of connections to the world and other people via travel.  In this episode Lauren reads her essay “Purgatory at Thirty-One” from Wildfire Magazine’s 2018 “Body” issue.  Her piece is about how the aftermath of breast cancer treatment is eerily similar to those middle school and high school years of going through puberty - hair is weird, sex is weird, there’s even acne. April and Lauren will discuss finding connections in the cancer community, how parts of our stories become revealed to ourselves during the writing process, and what it feels like to be seen and heard when you put your story out into the world.  They will also discuss Lauren's work as a trauma informed life coach, reiki practitioner and director of programming with The Breasties.  Lauren’s essay also appears in Wildfire’s book “Igniting the Fire Within.”  

More about Lauren:

https://www.instagram.com/laureneliseox/?hl=en

[email protected]

Buy the Wildfire book “Igniting the Fire Within: Stories of Healing, Hope & Humor, Inside Today’s Young Breast Cancer Community”: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJVJ629F?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860

More about our episode sponsor: https://www.cancerwarrioress.com/

Read more stories from past “Body” themed issues: 

https://www.wildfirecommunity.org/shop/printbody22

https://www.wildfirecommunity.org/shop/digital-body21

https://www.wildfirecommunity.org/shop/digital-download-body2020

Get the free Wildfire email newsletter: https://www.wildfirecommunity.org

Learn about Wildfire writing workshops: https://www.wildfirecommunity.org/workshops

Shop Wildfire merch & more: https://www.wildfirecommunity.org/shop

*Free* Get Wildfire and The Burn freebies here: https://www.wildfirecommunity.org/free

More about The Breasties: https://thebreasties.org/