Facing death brought new clarity, Laura said

In the final weeks of her life, Laura spoke candidly about her experience and how it reshaped her perspective on mortality. “Some of the happiest days of my life have been in the last few weeks,” she shared.

She believed society’s fear of death often made the process more isolating. “We shy away from it, and that reinforces the idea that it’s something dark or traumatic. But it doesn’t have to be.”

“Cancer has forced me to acknowledge what we all know deep down—we’re going to die. And since then, I’ve lived more fully than I ever had before. That’s been a gift.”

Laura is survived by her two sons, Jacob, 17, and Theo, 15, and her husband, Ben. The family chose to be open with their children about her condition from the beginning.

“We’ve always told them the truth—what the outcomes could be,” Ben said. “We wanted them to trust us, and that honesty has helped us get through this together.”

He described his wife as someone who never let her illness change her spirit. “They say people are either glass half full or glass half empty. Laura was just grateful to have a glass at all—and she wanted to share it with others.”