Gaby Laurent is a unicorn. A harrowing and beautiful story of thriving through and beyond cancer
Gaby Laurent’s story starts the way every story should start; with an awesome, loving and supportive family and a wonderful upbringing. She grew up with love and the push, the drive and the support to have a great life. And when she went off to college she met the love of her life on the first day. Graduation, graduate school, marriage, career, and then pregnancy… everything that she wanted.
Then came the diagnosis that changed her life. AML. Acute Myeloid Leukemia. While pregnant. No one had ever gone through the aggressive AML treatment while pregnant. Ever. Gaby was a medical unicorn as is her son Louis who went through chemotherapy while in utero.
The story is harrowing but Gaby, along with family, went through it with incredible grace, humor, and a level of positivity that I struggle to comprehend. She tells the story in her book Wrinkles Welcome with the same level of humor and passion that is both profoundly powerful and amazing to watch, listen or read.
Today, Gaby is healthy, happy, married with two boys and has a very active life full of gratitude, community and adventure. She believes in the power of community, faith and nature to help heal those in this very difficult place and she uses her experience to support and influence other cancer fighters and survivors, through her book, and as a camp director.
0:00 Camp Journey and Book Discussion
8:50 Church-Guided College Decision
15:17 “Reconnected After Growing Up”
18:51 Pregnancy Dreams Disrupted
23:58 Delayed Diagnosis Affects Pregnancy Decision
31:10 Life in Neutropenia Isolation
32:24 Hospital Stays During Pregnancy
41:43 Neonatal Drug Withdrawal Awareness
47:43 “Unexpected Journey to Authorship”
49:12 Embracing Life’s Journey and Aging
58:14 “Struggling to Process Motherhood and Cancer”
1:00:11 Shared Cancer Journeys Campfire Connection
1:05:26 Camp Reflection: Rocks and Release
1:14:26 Cancer Support Resources Summary
1:19:44 Southern California Fire Relief Community
1:20:52 “Gabby Laurent: Book & Instagram”