Lasley’s mother had been denied all those milestones — had never known any of her four grandchildren. Yet Lasley had a big advantage compared with her mother: early detection, thanks to a vigilant doctor and a timely mammogram.
Even though her breast cancer was only Stage 2, Lasley opted for the most aggressive treatment plan: a double mastectomy combined with a five-year regimen of Tamoxifen. “I wanted to do everything to prevent it from growing back,” Lasley said. “I didn’t want my daughter to go through what I went through.”
Today, the 48-year-old Belmont woman will be rewarded for her perseverance with a special honor: throwing out the first pitch at the 2 p.m. Dayton Dragons game against the Lansing Lugnuts.
“I’m so excited, I can hardly stand myself,” she said. “It’s a huge honor to be representing women with breast cancer from all over the city. Plus I love the Dragons.”
A former Beavercreek High School athlete, Lasley isn’t too worried about embarrassing herself with the first pitch.
She has faced far more serious challenges with humor and optimism: “I was determined I wasn’t going to get all down and depressed. I didn’t want it to be a sad thing. I tried to be as upbeat as possible.”
Lasley would have every right to be downcast about a family history of breast cancer that goes back at least five generations. It’s the very worst kind of inheritance she would have wished to pass along to her daughter, an 18-year-old high school senior who “is very aware of the need to do monthly breast exams,” Lasley said.
While she lost so much, growing up without her mother, “I draw a lot of my strength from her,” Lasley said.
Two of her four children still lived at home when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer: “She did her best to be strong for us four kids. She worried a lot. She knew she wasn’t going to be around and that was tough for her.”
After her mother’s death, Lasley found support and strength from her church. The same proved true after her breast cancer diagnosis, when a tight circle of church friends prayed for her every day.
“That’s the thing that got me through — they were good Christian ladies and a big blessing to me,” she recalled. “One of the first things that I recommend is to find a good support group.”
A unit coordinator on the medical/surgical floor at Sycamore Medical Center, Lasley also found plenty of resources through her employer, Kettering Health Network, attending classes about breast cancer and support groups.
“It was very encouraging to see this,” said Sharon Kershner, breast care coordinator for Kettering Health Network.
“If they reach out for that support, they go through the process with more ease. It is a process, it is a journey, and Lynn realized that and she moved forward with it.”
That’s why Lasley was the first person who came to mind when the Dayton Dragons came looking for a breast cancer survivor to throw the first pitch. “Lynn continues to reach out for support and to support others who are going through it, and to women who are newly diagnosed.”
It’s a role Lasley relishes: “I’m an easy talker and I love people. I have gotten such amazing support, I have felt ever since that I have to give that back to others.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2209 or mmccarty@ DaytonDailyNews.com.
About the Author