ROANOKE, Va. – We all have a story - it’s what shapes who we are. ESPN sideline reporter Lauren Sisler says she spent years running from hers. But on Monday, she returned to her hometown of Roanoke, Virginia, to share that story with the community that helped raise her.
Sisler lost both of her parents to drug overdoses within hours of each other. It’s a tragedy she once felt ashamed to talk about. But two decades later, she says she has come to embrace her past — and believes it has made her stronger, both personally and professionally.
“I think that being able to sit down and have a conversation with someone — when you ask those questions — I can just feel that I’m in the moment with them, that I’ve walked that journey alongside them,” Sisler said. “We all walk through something. We’re all going to face adversity in our lifetime. And while it might not all look the same, we all feel the weight of that.”
“Being able to feel the weight of that with them, and the encouragement, and hope I see on the other side as they’ve kept fighting, kept standing tall and going out there to compete every single day, it’s really special,” she added.
After her presentation, Sisler signed copies of her book, Shatterproof, which details her journey through grief and growth. She is scheduled to speak again Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Cave Spring High School.