Taking a personal tragedy and turning it into an opportunity to help others is no simple task. But Malvina and Ben Feinswog are honoring the memory of their daughter, Lauren, by providing support to other families, like their own, who have been affected by cancer.
Lauren passed away from a rare and aggressive form of cancer in 2001 at age 33, shortly after giving birth to her second child. She left behind two young children, a devastated husband and her parents. To honor Lauren and her courageous battle, Ben, Malvina and Lauren’s husband Anthony founded Lauren’s Light, an organization focused on the complex needs of young children who have a parent battling cancer. By educating and empowering parents to have difficult but age-appropriate conversations with their children, and by providing counseling sessions for children and their parents, Lauren’s Light helps to ease the stress for families facing the daily challenges of cancer. This grassroots organization has helped more than 1,000 families in the last decade, and relies on individual donors for all of its funding.
There are no applications, restrictions, criteria or costs for accessing these resources. Lauren’s commitment to caring for her children was boundless, and Ben and Malvina recognized the need to support other loving and remarkable parents during their battles with cancer. Says Jami Young, “Ben and Mal, through Lauren’s Light, are helping guide, empower and support these families and therefore enabling Lauren’s essence to continue to shine, comfort and inspire.”
