As many of you know, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer in the fall of 2012, which caught our family by surprise. As many of you know, I have always been an Energizer Bunny in our family and continued on with life even after this diagnosis. I was not going to let cancer take my life away, so I went back to teaching my 4th Grade Figlets for one more year before retiring, and then I decided to see the world with my husband, Steve, and my family. The cancer returned about 20 months later and I started a new chemo treatment. I decided I would live life to the fullest and not let cancer slow me down. Steve and I continued to travel, I directed plays and musicals, I taught Aerobic Dance, and I worked with the Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Association (WOCA) to educate the public about ovarian cancer, while I continued to shower my family with love. My motto is, "Everyday is a gift and we must cherish and live our lives to the fullest."
I had a bowel obstruction in early January of this year which caused me to have to go on a liquid/mushy food diet. This, along with the growth of the cancer, has resulted in me losing a lot of weight. My oncology team met with me on February 15 and explained that I could no longer receive chemo due to declining health and also because it was unlikely to extend my life. Without the chemo treatments, we are hoping I can get a little stronger and have a good quality of life in the remaining weeks or months I have on this precious Earth. I have great faith in God and my Guardian Angels, and I firmly believe that if Heaven is where I am needed, then I must move on. But until that time I intend to fight for my life here on Earth.
In this past week, after receiving numerous emails from former students and their parents, I have come to realize in a way that I never truly fully understood, that I have had a profound impact on so many lives in this Mequon community with my presence at Donges Bay School and the Mequon-Thiensville Recreation Department. I cannot express in words the gratitude I feel for all the love I am receiving, and received in the past, from the Mequon Community. Both my daughters Amelia and Lillian were part of my theater programs when they were children, and now Amelia continues my performing arts legacy with theater at Homestead High School as a teacher and director. Again, I cannot thank the community enough for all of the love and support I have received from so many past students, friends, colleagues, and families. I have been overwhelmed with the cards, emails, and phone calls and I love receiving them all. You have all been a part of my blessed life here on Earth.
Thank you from Cheryl and her family, Steve, Lillian, Amelia, and Matt.
Here is the video montage I made for my mother's service on Sunday, May 19th. It is a sliver of her life set to John Denver's "Sunshine on my Shoulders."
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