A Love Story Forged at Seton Hall: Vows, Perseverance and Triumph Over Cancer

The date November 15, 2024 will be an especially memorable day for Chris and Barbara Laureys. They have chosen to come back to Seton Hall to renew their wedding vows at the Chapel of Immaculate Conception to commemorate the 40th anniversary of their first date. When deciding where to go to renew their vows, they thought about going to the Grand Canyon or Aruba, but Seton Hall came out victorious as it is where their relationship began. In addition to the celebration of 40 years as a couple, Chris and Barbara are also observing a milestone of a different kind, 18 years of Barbara’s fight against breast cancer.

In May 2006, Barbara was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer at 40-years-old. This is a celebration in its own right, being that Barbara was given six months to live, and has beaten tremendous odds in her fight. The month of November will also mark 222 months of perseverance and resilience that Barbara has shown cancer from that initial prognosis of six months.

Before they officially became a couple during their freshman year, they both admired each other from a far, as they lived on opposite sides in Boland Hall, an all-freshmen dorm. They had dated all throughout college, where Chris taught Barbara how to not be so timid and Barbara taught Chris how to not be so blunt, complimenting each other in the best possible way.

Chris would go on to graduate in 1988 and Barbara in 1989. Shortly thereafter, they would be married in 1990, having three children in 1995, 1997, and 1998. Chris worked in public relations as a ghostwriter for executives before starting his own business and Barbara worked in pharmaceutical research at Novartis, before transitioning to work in the science labs where her children went to school. Barbara’s goal was to become a biology teacher, she was working part time at her children’s school; and everything was going so well for the Laureys family.

Things would take a drastic turn on May 22, 2006, one week after spending a magical time at Disney World with their family. At 40 years old Barbara went for a mammogram screening to see if she was healthy enough to have another child and that is when she found out that she had stage four breast cancer. The day of the test Barbara was told to wait at the hospital after her test. Usually you go home after a mammogram is performed. The hospital got her OBGYN on the phone and that’s when he told her that they had found cancer. Later that week, after Barbara went to Morristown to get a biopsy, it showed that the cancer had spread to her liver.

The wanting of a fourth child helped save Barbara’s life. Chris says, “Look at it this way, you got it identified because you wanted a child; you got to see your children grow up, graduate high school and college.” The fourth child that Barbara wanted saved her life. This further cemented Chris and Barbara’s belief that everything happens for a reason. Faith has always been a part of both Chris and Barbara’s life, but the journey of living with cancer had made them even stronger in their faith. Barbara said, “I gained my best friends from being a health aide; Wendy, who is in Sparta… we would go to healing masses and have bible studies together.” Chris and Barbara worked at their church as directors to help parents go through a program before they could baptize their children.

Barbara says that Seton Hall made her the person she is today and her education in biology paid dividends in knowing how to handle and work through her diagnosis. Barbara credits Professor Daniel Burke, who ran the biology labs at Seton Hall, who one summer, let her and a friend work in the biology labs. After recounting her experiences at school, Barbabra says, “Seton Hall just made me the person I am today.” Chris said that Barbara is the exemplar of the Seton Hall motto Hazard Zet Forward, drawing on the journey that Barbara has endured for 18 years.

There are so many times when people feel like giving up on a journey that is exhausting, both mentally and physically. Chris especially commends Barbara’s vigilance and the attention she has shown during her fight, keeping up with current news and breakthroughs in the cancer field. Barbara’s fight is commendable and she serves as role model for all those who are affected by a disease that effects so many.

Categories: Alumni