Lauren had a penchant for being organized, prepared, and ready to handle whatever life threw her way. So when the 26-year-old got engaged to her best friend Dmitriy, she decided to plan their wedding herself. In no time, Lauren had reserved a wedding spot, picked out her dress, nailed down their honeymoon plans to Italy, and was checking off the myriad of to-do’s for the event. Then, just two months after the engagement, Lauren felt a lump. At first she ignored it. Then, it grew. After a visit to the doctors, she got the call at work. It was breast cancer. Within two weeks she had a lumpectomy. The results came back – they didn’t get the clear margins they were looking for. It really hit her – this was bad. She was eight months away from her wedding.

Everything had been planned, but cancer has a way of not caring about your plans or anyone else’s.

Lauren and Dmitriy on their wedding day.

This summer, Lauren and Dmitriy celebrated their first wedding anniversary, and she recently joined MyBCTeam.com. Whether newly diagnosed or 15 years out from cancer, women facing breast cancer can connect with others like Lauren, who’ve been in their shoes: diagnosed, busy with life, overwhelmed, scared, and just looking for life-affirming words of experience that it will be okay. Women use MyBCTeam.com like Facebook. They share their daily ups and downs. They share their very personal stories about their breast cancer experience, their recommendations of providers, their treatment decision-making process, and even better, they are available to answer questions. MyBCTeam believes it should be easy to find the best people around you to help. That includes women who understand exactly what you’re going through and the team of providers that can help you through treatment. There are women as young as 18 and as old as 65 on the site. Each is able to connect with someone who has been in their shoes. At times women feel closer to the MyBCTeam.com community than even friends or families. And while in-person support groups can also be valuable, when you’re going through treatment, you may not have the energy to get in a car and drive to a meeting. MyBCTeam.com lets you connect with women 24/7. And if you’re on the go or constantly in waiting rooms, MyBCTeam is also available on mobile (iPhone/iPad and Android Smartphones).

“I wish MyBCTeam was around two years ago, but I’m glad it’s here now, especially since I’m still coming to terms with just how much this process has impacted my life.”