A West Seattle woman who credits her interest in the latest technology for discovering her breast cancer at an early stage has been selected as the Seattle Mariners Honorary Bat Girl for 2019. Dianne Munroe will be recognized on Sunday, May 19, and throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Mariners take on the Minnesota Twins (1:10 p.m. game time).

The Honorary Bat Girl program was created by Major League Baseball in 2009 to raise awareness and support for the annual "Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer" initiative. Starting this year, MLB is partnering with CrowdRise to host a fundraising contest for each Honorary Bat Girl to raise money to benefit Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C) and Susan G. Komen. The winning Bat Girl will receive a trip to the 2019 World Series. All funds raised through the initiative will be donated to SU2C and Komen. More information is available at HonoraryBatGirl.com, and the Mariners Honorary Bat Girl’s fundraising page is at this link.

Mariners Honorary Bat Girl

Dianne Munroe spent much of her 34-year career in health care designing treatment and care facilities. In the 1990s, as her work focused on spaces for women’s breast health, she became an advocate for regular mammograms. With a Masters in Engineering Management, it made sense to her to take advantage of the latest technology, too.

So when she had the chance to undergo new 3D imaging at the Franciscan Breast Center in Burien in 2016, she opted to wait a few months past her normal mammogram schedule to use the new equipment.

“And they found something. I guess that’s the blessing in the whole thing. Had I not done that, I probably would have had the (2D imaging) and I probably would have gone 14 or 15 months with nothing. I would never have detected mine. It was small and very deep and the machine is what picked up my cancer,” said Munroe.

Because her cancer was detected early, the tumor was small. Munroe underwent a lumpectomy and radiation therapy at Highline Cancer Care Center. She is now cancer-free, and her physician, Dr. Ani Fleisig, a CHI Franciscan surgical oncologist, says early detection often leads to a good outcome.

“It’s important for women to take care of themselves since they often put their health on the back burner to take care of other people,” said Dr. Fleisig. “We encourage women to incorporate regular mammograms as part of their overall health routine. Annual screening mammograms starting at age 40 and timely treatment can save lives.”

Since her diagnosis, Munroe has been spreading the word about the importance of breast health, especially the new 3D imaging available through the CHI Franciscan system. Through her urging, three friends who have undergone similar testing have had breast cancer detected at an early stage and are undergoing treatment.

Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer

The Mariners will be at Fenway Park to meet the Boston Red Sox on May 12, Mother’s Day, when players have the option to use pink Louisville Slugger bats and pink wristbands. This year, players will also wear New Era caps with pink crowns and team-colored brims. Uniforms will feature the pink ribbon on the left chest. Players also have the option to wear specially designed socks made by Stance. Pink ribbons will adorn the bases and official dugout lineup cards on Mother’s Day. MLB will donate 100% of its royalties from sales of licensed apparel with the MLB pink ribbon logo to Stand Up To Cancer and Susan G. Komen.

Louisville Slugger, the Official Bat of Major League Baseball, will donate proceeds from the sale of their pink bats, which will also be stamped with the MLB breast cancer awareness logo, to Komen and SU2C.