Remarkable Women: Cancer survivor Lori Bayer becomes a breast cancer advocate, creating a nonprofit to help others

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – From small-town girl to globetrotter, Lori Bayer says some of the best years of her life were spent on a journey around the world traveling with her husband.

“I learned so much about myself, and I learned so much about other cultures and other people,” she said, reminiscing about her travels. “It’s kind of formed a little bit of who I was, and who I am today.”

But years later, she found herself on a journey she never expected.

“I got that call that you really don’t want to get, and my doctor said, you have breast cancer,” Bayer said.

What was expected to be a normal routine doctor’s appointment back in 2017 ended up changing Bayer’s life.

“I went through surgery, and then chemotherapy and radiation, and then I had to take a pill for five years, which ended a year ago,” she said.

Though the cancer was caught early, Bayer said the treatment and recovery process was anything but easy.

“There was a lot of loss. You know, I lost my hair, I lost my breast, I lost my eyebrows, I lost my health, I lost my independence,” Bayer said, adding: “I’m a pretty brave, courageous, strong person, but I have to tell you that breast cancer broke me.”

But not broken forever…

Bayer said surviving her cancer journey not only made her grateful to be alive but fueled her passion to inspire others. So, she put this passion into “The Swing.”

“We can really branch out with swinging, but it really started with golf, but we’ve embraced all of the sports, and we want to embrace even more. So, yeah, the swing, The Swing is very personal. I’m very passionate about The Swing,” she said.

Swing for the Lowcountry is a nonprofit organization supporting breast cancer patients and their families with financial assistance when they need it most.

“Breast cancer is greedy. It steals lives, it ruins people’s health. It puts a financial burden on families, and I know that that is 100% avoidable. I know that we, The Swing, and the women that support us — and the men. We have a lot of men that support us, too — I know that we can alleviate that right here in our community.”

Within a short time after launching, ‘The Swing’ went from 70 members to 300 members and continues to grow.

“We’ve raised over $750,000, and to date, $500,000 of that money has been dispersed to women in the Lowcountry, really, specifically right here in Charleston, and some other areas in the Lowcountry,” Bayer said.

Bayer is now being recognized as a Remarkable Woman for her resiliency and inspiration to others, using a dark time in her life to bring light into others.

“I don’t really feel like I’m a remarkable woman. I know that some remarkable things have happened in my life. So, I was very surprised and quite honored,” she said. “Who I think is really remarkable are, are the women who we serve. You know, the breast cancer women who are right there on the front lines battling for their life and fighting this disease, I think they’re pretty remarkable.”

Please click here to learn more about Bayer’s organization and how you can help or get assistance.