Forging a Legacy: The Weller Family

It has been 10 years since Lauren Weller Sidorowicz ’08 passed away at age 26 from the rare bone cancer Ewing’s Sarcoma.

Lauren, a volleyball player who was first diagnosed during her freshman year at FSU, wrote her mother, Annette Weller, a letter about her wishes for the future – after her passing.

“In the letter, she asked me to start raising money for families that were going through what we had gone through,” Annette recalled. “She knew me well and knew that I would need something to do to make sense of what had happened.”

Annette and her husband, Randy, established the L-Dub Love organization, named for Lauren’s nickname at Frostburg. For nearly a decade, L-Dub Love helped more than 200 families of children with cancer travel to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., to receive treatment.

The room was officially named during FSU’s 2021 Homecoming celebration. “I was amazed at how many people were there for the dedication,” Annette said. “I am honored that Kylie thought so much about Lauren that she would embark on this journey, as she had only met her a couple of times. It is very gratifying to know that our donation is touching so many lives.”

As the Wellers settle into their new life in Delaware and honor Lauren on the 10th anniversary of her passing, they are content that their daughter’s legacy is living on in such a lasting and impactful way.

“It is very gratifying to know that our donation is touching so many athletes. The locker room is beautiful. … One of the players painted a plaque with the L-Dub’s Love logo – which came from a tattoo Lauren got when she was diagnosed,” Annette said about the loving gesture. “We will be forever grateful to Frostburg for remembering our daughter this way.”

Through a generous contribution by L-Dub’s Love, Inc., the Volleyball Locker Room was dedicated in memory of Lauren Marie Weller Sidorowicz ’08. From left are Volleyball Head Coach Kylie Carrington Heyne ’11, President Ron Nowaczyk and Lauren’s parents Annette and Randy Weller.