Lauren Rosati has volunteered with the Foundation since 2014 and has since decided to pursue a career as an MD to seek to follow her passion of helping the patient. In her second year of medical school, with an extremely busy study schedule, she continues to find time to volunteer with the Foundation in numerous programs such as fundraising, grant writing, the Nursing Advisory Board and the CARE Team, just to mention a few.
It was during her senior year of undergraduate work at Clemson that Lauren’s stepdad received his diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma. She became his caregiver, and helped him navigate the clinical trial process. With complications in her stepdad’s health, he eventually was told he did not qualify for any further clinical trials. Adamantly, following that conversation with clinicians she decided to pursue her career in medicine as a doctor to be a force for change. She did not want other patients to have to hear that same narrative.
Lauren has a unique perspective as a previous caregiver, an experienced research assistant, a grant writer, and a medical student that makes for a volunteer who understands so much and helps to improve every program she is involved with. She has brought many ideas to the Foundation when volunteers were extremely few in number and has brought them to completion. Lauren’s favorite event is the Annual Conference and loves that it is so unique in the fact that it is heavily patient driven. In October she cheered on the Chicago Marathon runners with her fellow CARE Team members who she says "are just like family." Lauren continues to volunteer despite her demanding schedule because she says “I feel my happiest when I do. It’s my savior and my coping mechanism.”
The Foundation would like to take this opportunity to thank Lauren Rosati for every effort, her energy and ideas, as well as her dedication and commitment. It is a privilege to honor her as Volunteer of the Month.
