Tara's Story
Tara DeAugustinis was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma in early 2016 at the age of 45. After a few weeks of tests, doctors determined that her cancer was stage 2 and present on her chest wall and right lung.
Following Tara’s diagnosis, her husband, Richard, set up a private website for friends and family to follow along with Tara’s journey through treatment and offer help to the family in any way needed. “Tara’s prognosis is positive since the cancer is stage 2, but it’s going to be a difficult and challenging treatment journey in the months ahead to get the upper hand,” Rich wrote in his website introduction.
Tara and Rich knew the road after diagnosis would be challenging, yet they decided to face mesothelioma head-on. “We accept the diagnosis as God’s providence in our lives, and will face and get through this trial with His love and support. It’s hard to understand, but we are not going to question it – we are going to get on with the battle,” wrote Rich.
The DeAugustinis have been blessed with an amazing network of support and a very close-knit family. Tara and Rich have a daughter, Aubrey, who was 13 at diagnosis and is the spitting image of her mother. Aubrey, Rich notes, has been a net source of strength for all of them throughout their battle with this disease. She shares her mother’s traits of being headstrong and driven.
Here are the posts.
Facing Mesothelioma One Journal Entry at a Time: Part One
Just a quick note to let everyone know that Tara will be starting chemotherapy on Tuesday at the Winship Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s. She will be doing 6 “cycles” of cisplatin and alimta (the chemo drugs), one every 3 weeks. This is the start of her “journey of hope” back to health.
Facing Mesothelioma One Journal Entry at a Time: Part Two
Tara is at St. Joseph’s for her second round of chemotherapy today. Please pray for the chemo to have an extraordinary and incredible impact on the cancer and it’s tumors in the weeks ahead. Please also pray for comfort, strength and resilience for Tara in the face of continuing nerve pain.
Facing Mesothelioma One Journal Entry at a Time: Part Three
Tara had her 5th chemo treatment yesterday. It hit her pretty hard, and we expect the next few days to be rough. That said, so far the side effects have been limited to extreme tiredness/exhaustion, and nausea. I am praying for her to bounce back quickly from this round, and to have some opportunity for normalcy and comfort before the final chemo.
Facing Mesothelioma One Journal Entry at a Time: Part Four
This is Tara. I wanted to send out a quick note before my surgery tomorrow. I have 10 hours before the surgery begins. I want you to know that you (my support network) have been nothing short of amazing. You have overwhelmed me with your support and encouragement. Your love surrounds me as I get ready for tomorrow morning.
Facing Mesothelioma One Journal Entry at a Time: Part Five
I am glad to share that we are home. Tara was actually discharged from the hospital on Wednesday afternoon and we’ve been home since then — just didn’t get a chance to share it more broadly until now. Tara continues to recover well, and the doctors gave her great feedback before she left the hospital.
Facing Mesothelioma One Journal Entry at a Time: Part Six
Tara woke up this morning with chest pains and shortness of breath. We are presently at the St. Joseph’s ER to get tests and to find out what’s going on. The last 24 hours has been a deviation from her great recovery since surgery.
Facing Mesothelioma One Journal Entry at a Time: Part Seven
Just a quick update on Tara this Monday morning… we are very excited this week because she has TWO DAYS LEFT of radiation treatments! Today and tomorrow… and then that’s it! We are so glad that this chapter is coming to a close.
Facing Mesothelioma One Journal Entry at a Time: Part Eight
Earlier this week, Tara and I met with her doctors at Winship Cancer Institute to review the results of her latest PET scan. The headline is that we received a mixed bag of results. The radiation did eliminate some areas of the remaining cancer, but did not impact others.
Facing Mesothelioma One Journal Entry at a Time: Part Nine
After Tara’s surgery and during radiation, it was a relief not to worry about meal planning and preparation a few nights a week. And since we don’t eat a whole lot, the leftovers fed us a few more nights each week. It really has been terrific, and enabled me to wholly focus on Tara’s care and well-being.
Facing Mesothelioma One Journal Entry at a Time: Part Ten
Hello to all my supporters and prayer warriors! This is Tara and I want to give you a quick update. As Rich wrote the last update six weeks ago, I had just started the tazemetostat clinical trial. Since then I have had 4 more trips to NYC with the most recent being this week.
Facing Mesothelioma One Journal Entry at a Time: Part Eleven
oday was one of the best and worst days of my life. At noon I had the opportunity to watch my daughter receive an incredible honor at school. She received Wesleyan’s “Outstanding Achievement Award” for 9th grade girls.
A Tribute to Tara DeAugustinis
We are deeply saddened by Tara DeAugustinis’ passing. Tara and her husband Rich have become symbols of strength in the mesothelioma community, as they shared their story with the world. Through regular updates beginning with Tara’s diagnosis in early 2016, they informed us of their joys and successes, setbacks and heartbreaks. They taught us that even in the darkest moments life has some light in store. They inspired us with their courage, kindness, honesty and positivity.
