By Dave Vieser. Leslyn Bodine, a 37-year-old mother of two, has a five-word wish for the New Year: “I don’t want to die.”
That may seem like a basic wish for most people but the odds are stacked against the Alexander Chase resident. She suffers from Stage 3b Cervical Cancer and is rapidly exhausting treatment options. Though it goes against her grain, she’s taken to such programs as fundrazer.com to seek financial contributions so she can get needed treatment.
“I’m going public with my situation for several reasons,” Bodine said. “First and foremost, my health insurance does not travel outside North Carolina so I need help in order to cover out of state treatment. My husband Barry lost his job, my cancer is aggressive and it’s spreading. Donations will cover travel and hospital fees first, then other out of pocket treatment expenses and personal expenses.”
“People need to be aware of all risks, no matter how small they may be.”
— Leslyn Bodine
A second reason for her highly public plea is for patients to be aware of dangers associated with surgical procedures. “I’ve had several bouts of cancer and the mass they found in my abdominal wall in 2014 was apparently caused by something called port site recurrence-a phenomenon believed to occur through the transfer of cancer cells from surgical tools or excessive Carbon Dioxide pressures during surgery. The cancer cells literally seed in the scar tissue where I was cut open.”
Bodine said there was less than a 1.5 percent risk of this occurrence, a risk that was not made known to her by her doctor. “People need to be aware of all risks, no matter how small they may be.”
She eventually changed oncologists, finding someone who was willing to enroll her in a local three-month clinical trial. However, funding for that trial has been exhausted, her pain persists and treatment in Houston at the Dr. Anderson Cancer Treatment Hospital appears to be her best option.
She called one doctor “and they want a $29,000 deposit. All other treatments are going to cost money, plus travel. I have reached the limits of my insurance and all local options for treatment. I don’t want my sweet girls to grow up without a mom, but that is what’s going to happen if I don’t get help for treatments and expenses.”
One other complication exists: The Bodine family name is well-known around racing circles. In fact, her husband, who is the son of Geoffrey Bodine, and the nephew of Todd and Brett Bodine was himself a NASCAR driver up until 2002. He and Leslyn also owned and operated Draco Performance in Mooresville for many years. As such, many people just assumed that significant financial support would be forthcoming from the Bodine family. “Sad to say that support has not been forthcoming,” Leslyn Bodine said.
Through it all, Leslyn says it’s her own immediate family that has been truly amazing. “My husband spends most of his days helping care for me, taking me to appointments, and taking care of our girls—Kathleen is 12; Lily, 9. And my two daughters have been so supportive through it all.”
No one knows for sure what the future holds for Leslyn Bodine but at this point, despite the financial hurdles she faces and the daily pain she endures, she’s not ready to give up. “This is my time to fight.”
Want to help?
Donations can be sent to:
Leslie Bodine – 503 Performance Drive, Mooresville, NC 28115
Online: Go to fundrazr.com/campaigns/5153l8/ab/61DMA0 and follow directions to contribute.