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Local Cancer Patient Shares Greeting Cards to Help Others with Cancer
Ten Percent of Proceeds Will Benefit Breast Cancer Research at Baptist Cancer Institute Jacksonville, Florida, October 13, 2008 -- What do you wear for the fight of your life? Lyn Leto chose a wide-brimmed hat, a sundress and flip-flops. Lyn always supported the war on cancer; however, she never planned to join the army. She was drafted. And since it's an unconventional war, she decided on an unusual tack. She would fight cancer on her terms -- in the brilliant light and warmth of the sun, in her "uniform" designed for sunny, happy days. Sunshine is precious for Lyn, 61, who was born and raised and worked for most of her life in central Pennsylvania's gritty coal-mining region, a once-thriving area, during the reign of "King Coal," now an area peopled by warm and welcoming people, but with a landscape ravaged by drag lines, dynamite and mining wastes. Her hometown, Shamokin, isn't a cheery place. Shamokin's glory days were already gone -- its coal mines and textile mills in steep decline -- when she was born in 1947. But her family's roots are deep there. Her parents were child laborers -- her daddy in a coal mine by eighth grade and her mom in a shirt factory instead of high school, despite her intellectual abilities and desire to be a teacher. Her grandfather died of black lung as a young man, an uncle and a cousin were killed in mining accidents, and numerous other family members were crippled by arthritis after a life of underground toil or long hours of repetitive chores in dreary mills. Many young people lucky enough to get an education left the devastated town with its stagnant economy. Lyn followed suit. She lived and worked in Allentown, Pa., for many years, with experience in middle and high school English. She earned her Master's degree and became a reading specialist, and did extracurricular work as a drama coach. She also managed to open and run a successful antique shop. However, after all of the years she enjoyed in the small-city atmosphere of Allentown, she returned to her coal region roots, in Pottsville, Pa. There she served a 17-year stint as a supervisor of The Lifelong Learning Center, located in a mall, where she was a program developer and grant writer, supervising county-wide education services for adults and at-risk teens. Lyn took early retirement, and lived in a modern, light filled house in Pottsville, best known as the hometown of writer John O’Hara and popular Yuengling beer. Lyn enjoyed life in this old coal town, with her best friend and husband of 30 years, Sam, and their pets -- four dogs and a cat. Now having retirement time, she took up painting, specializing in beachscapes, scenes that remained in her mind long after shore vacations were over. Sam and Lyn planned to make their retirements golden. Then life took an unexpected and unwelcome turn. Lyn was diagnosed in April 2006 with advanced breast cancer. Lyn had personal, up-close experiences with the ravages that cancer can have on an individual and on a family. Her beloved brother Carly was only 12 when he died of cancer. Lyn was a mere tot of eight years, trying to make sense of the senseless. His death cast a pall over her family, but Lyn was determined to keep darkness at bay. According to younger brother Cyril Zaneski, "Lyn became the family entertainer, always ready with an amusing story accompanied by dramatic and funny exposition. She always tried to brighten everyone's spirits." When Lyn received her own traumatic news, she was determined to maintain that sunny attitude for her own cancer fight. A month after her cancer surgery, Lyn and Sam traveled to Amelia Island, Fla., and bought a house. Lyn found healing and solace on the island's beaches, enjoying the sun and the sound of the surf. It was a time for introspection. Lyn reflected on her ordeal -- the seven hours of surgery, the fear that gripped her heart upon learning that the cancer had invaded 19 nodes. She thought about how a life-threatening illness changes a life, the medical and emotional struggles, and the darkness and shadows which can easily take over a life. She especially was troubled by the five years of survival necessary to earn the coveted title, "cancer survivor." During one of those healing days in the sun, Lyn had an epiphany. She thought, "Whether I live for five years or not, I already am a survivor. I'm not going to fight for survival. I need to fight for life." Lyn decided then to use art and poetry to give voice to all women battling breast cancer. That spirit -- and Lyn's love of language -- inspired Combat Boots, special edition, a poster card for women with cancer. Lyn used the ubiquitous flip-flops as a metaphor for combat boots. She chose purple and pink for her artist's rendition of the popular foot wear. Inspired by the revered Purple Heart awarded wounded soldiers for their bravery, and the pink ribbon representing hope for the cure of breast cancer, Lyn designed her "combat boots." According to Lyn, "Flip-flops represent the emotional flip-flops experienced during the struggle to adjust to a devastating illness, and are also reminders to choose a life in the sun over the darkness of despair." The original poster card, Combat Boots, special edition, is presented in a message mat for friends and families to personalize. With encouragement from her family and friends, that first poem grew into a line of greeting cards, Combat Boots, special edition collection, Messages from the Heart. Lyn says the message of each card is "from deep within my heart, a heart that understands and empathizes with the universal feelings of women with cancer." Each poem is intended to comfort and encourage a cancer patient, and to provide loved ones a means of giving a "card that is actually a gift, a gift of healing words." "Sometimes I think that God awakened my creativity in this last act of my life's play, to keep me enthusiastic about life, and to help other women find the brightness and joy that I have found," Lyn says. "Despite the fact that my cancer has advanced, and my obvious limitations in what I can do, I am happier and more enthusiastic about life than ever. I work on keeping a spirit of gratitude for what I can do, rather than focusing on what I cannot do. Each morning I awake eager to write down new ideas, before the fatigue sets in, hopeful that in some small way I can contribute to the emotional wellness of women with cancer, and the people who love them." Lyn is donating 10 percent of the proceeds of this collection to Baptist Cancer Research Institute. Combat Boots, special edition collection, Messages from the Heart is available presently at:
Baptist Medical Center Nassau Gift Shop
Edwards of San Marco
Divine Finds
Art Works
Good Will Book Store
Sophy Jewelers Vendors who may want to carry this product line should contact Lyn Leto at lyn-15@comcast.net.
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