The “Hickory Lazers” have their eyes on the ball and their minds on a soccer mom. A patch that reads cancer awareness is worn by all 13 players, inspiring them now and beyond.
"Mrs. Dyanne has cancer and when I play soccer I just want to win our games and make sure she's happy," said Claire Neff, a team player.
41-year-old Dyanne Barnes is named the team's most valuable player. The mother of three young girls was diagnosed with breast cancer in May after she found a lump.
"One day in the shower I happened to find it and it was definitely more significant than anything I had felt before," said Barnes.
She's made a habit of self breast exams since her mom also had breast cancer.
Barnes is on her second round of chemotherapy. She's scheduled for a double mastectomy, hoping the operation prevents the cancer from returning. The patches are a dose of medication that doctors could never prescribe.
"I was so touched. I felt so loved and so much support. Words can't express how I felt," said Barnes.
Her daughter Meghan is part of the “Hickory Lazers” and looking forward to Sunday's Race for the Cure.
"It will mean that she knows that I'm right by her side to do anything that she needs me to do," said Meghan Barnes.
For the 7 and 8 year olds, scoring big goes beyond a soccer ball. Wearing the patch is a life-long lesson.
"It makes me feel stronger when I play my games because I know Mrs. Dyanne is always watching," said Emili Rutkowski, a team player.
"This will be a good learning experience for them. And one day they'll go I remember Mrs. Dyanne. I remember what she went through," said Barnes.
Dyanne Barnes wants to pass along the importance of requesting an ultrasound, since a mammogram did not find her cancer.
