La Grange native is face of hope in American Cancer Society campaign

LA GRANGE – La Grange native Lauren Hubert Smoke, 34, couldn't contain her joy last February when she learned she was pregnant with her first child. That happiness turned to devastation, however, when she found a lump in her breast just a few weeks later, and she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. After completing two grueling rounds of chemotherapy while pregnant, the new mom is hoping her story will bring awareness to young women and soon-to-be mothers.

Smoke and her husband, Ian, are the faces of “hope” in the American Cancer Society’s new Advantage Humans campaign, which matches cancer survivors with emotions patients might feel after diagnosis and while going through treatment. Besides “hope,” other emotions personalized in the campaign are rage, courage and defiance.

“I was chosen for ‘hope’ because I was pregnant, and it was just fitting,” Smoke said. “I want people to know that this can happen to someone who’s young and healthy, and it can happen while pregnant. I want people to make sure to get checked out if they find something.”

Smoke and her husband, who reside in Chicago, appear on several national outdoor advertisements, as well as a television spot. Daniela Campari, interim chief marketing officer at the American Cancer Society, said the organization interviewed a lot of survivors but chose Smoke because “her story was so amazing, so real and so honest.”

“She had to make treatment decisions thinking about how it would affect her baby, and people don’t often understand those decisions,” she said. “Cancer was the last thing on Lauren’s mind, but she found hope and strength to fight and get through this. She embodies the message of hope, and this campaign is about giving people hope.”

Ian said for him, becoming involved with the campaign was a “no-brainer.” He said sharing their story is the least they can do.

“It’s been a tough year for us. It was heartbreaking because everything she wanted was coming true with the pregnancy, so it was devastating,” he said. “But it was an easy choice to become involved with the campaign.”

Campari said the campaign, which has been running since the end of October, is already raising awareness.

“It’s changing the conversation about cancer,” Campari said. “People don’t know how to talk about cancer, but now they’re calling us more, the activity on our website is going through the roof. We’re bringing people to the site. We want to give people a voice to be able to share these emotions.”

Smoke said she feels grateful to be a part of the campaign, and several pregnant cancer patients have since contacted her, thanking her for being the face of a pregnant patient.

“I remember how desperate I was to find someone to connect with, and if I can be that person to someone, then it’s all worth it,” she said.

Smoke, who graduated from Lyons Township High School in 1999, gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Nico, on Sept. 15. But she wasn’t always so sure she’d have the happy ending she so desperately wanted.

“When the doctor told me it was cancer, my first thought was about my baby, not myself,” Smoke said. “I got the call just a few hours after I had my first ultrasound. What started as a great day turned into a terrible one. I was in shock.”

Doctors told Smoke she had stage II triple-negative breast cancer that was growing rapidly. Luckily, the tumor hadn’t spread to her lymph nodes. She had a lumpectomy during her first trimester and underwent chemotherapy beginning in her second trimester up until Nico’s birth.

“When I first held him, I lost it,” she said. “All I’d been hoping and worrying about was here. It was relief, but right after the relief, a whole other worry flooded over me. I was crying happy tears, but was terrified. My focus went back to cancer.”

Smoke is done with chemo, but she is still undergoing radiation. She finishes treatment in January and can’t wait to be done so she can “just be a mom.”

“This taught me to focus on the good things I have and to complain less. I appreciate what I have more, including the middle of the night feeds,” she said with a laugh. “At times I don’t feel strong, but I keep fighting, and when I’m taking care of Nico, I feel strong.”