Ward Lassoe, a local psychotherapist and longtime Sullivan’s Island resident, recently published an inspiring memoir that tells the story of a woman who overcame a lifetime of trauma and abuse through resilience and grit. Diane: True Survivor is based on a series of conversations between Lassoe and a woman named Diane. The two were classmates in a graduate clinical counseling program and were paired for a class assignment.
“We had 15 minutes to get a brief life history from each other,” Lassoe said. “As I asked Diane about her past, I realized she had overcome incredible challenges. After that class, I joked her life would make a great book, and now it’s actually happened.”
Diane: True Survivor reads like fiction, but its details are real. Diane was born in 1960 to a sex worker in London. As an infant, her mother attempted to kill both herself and Diane in a failed suicide attempt. Diane’s mother was committed to a mental asylum, and Diane was sent to a British orphanage. Nine years later, her mother unexpectedly regained custody and moved to the South Bronx, where Diane faced intense culture shock, transitioning from an English village to an American ghetto. She then endured physical and emotional abuse from her mother and sexual abuse from her stepfather.
Diane became pregnant at 14 and ran away from home, surviving with the help of a series of "angels" she encountered on the streets. Despite abusive relationships, she built a new life, raising eight children—three biological and five adopted. Diane eventually found happiness when she reunited with the father of her first child. Though he had overcome a heroin addiction, he was HIV-positive. They shared 10 happy years together before his death.
Afterward, Diane found faith and developed a meaningful spiritual life. The book concludes with Diane’s mother reappearing in her life. Despite years of abuse, Diane forgave her and invited her into her home, transforming her story into one of grace and mercy.
Lassoe
The memoir also offers a unique perspective on race relations. Diane, a white woman, lived most of her life in an African American community and culture.
Lassoe and Diane began collaborating on the book in 2011 and worked on it for more than a decade.
“Diane died unexpectedly in 2022,” Lassoe said. “Her death pushed me to publish the book as a tribute to her. She always hoped her life story would inspire others facing difficult challenges.”
The book includes praise from Sullivan’s Island-based author Josephine Humphreys, who said: “It’s wonderful. Brilliantly done. I couldn’t stop reading. You can feel her strength growing steadily until it amounts to a genuine victory at the end.”
Diane: True Survivor is available at local bookstores and online. For more information, visit diane-book.com.