Today, 11/11/25, marks three years of being officially “cancer free.”

Those two words hold a weight the old me never thought about. Never understood. Never even dreamed about needing to say.

Being “cancer free” comes with layers. I hate it because I should never have had to walk this path. No one should. But I also love it for reasons I wish everyone could understand. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about what cancer did to me, what it gave me, and how it changed me.

It gave me clarity. Perspective. Strength I didn’t know I had.

But it also took things I’ll never get back, pieces of my body, my confidence, my sense of safety in the world.

There are a thousand reasons why I love this phase of the journey, but the reason to hate it is simple...and three years later, it still whispers: What if it comes back?

That fear doesn’t disappear. It changes shape. It hides between good scans and busy days, then resurfaces when life feels too quiet. As time moves me farther from diagnosis, the fear of life shifting in an instant sneaks in too. But I’m learning to live with it, and beyond it.

I’m learning to live for today.

To feel peace.

To laugh deeply.

To celebrate comfort.

To soak in true happiness.

I love that I get to be with my husband, to travel, to cook and bake again. I love spending time with my family.  I love the simplicity of my days now: long walks, quiet nights at home, the beauty of stillness, the comfort of calm, and the excitement of trying to find the newest cookie recipe.

These are the moments I live for, the ones I used to rush through, the ones I now hold with both hands.

The darkest days are behind me, but they brought me here, to this moment, this day, and another year of living cancer free.

Cancer took a lot from me, but it also gave me a new mission: to help other women find themselves again. To give them options, confidence, and a reminder that beauty and strength can coexist. That’s what POST SWIM is to me: a love letter to the woman I was, the woman I became, and every woman who’s still finding her way.

Here’s to three years of healing, growing, and showing up — scars, fears, gratitude, and all. 💛

Love,

Lauren