Cheryl’s Story

Site created on October 11, 2018

In 1999 Cheryl broke her right foot badly and had to have it pinned. All went well til 06 when the hardware got infected and thats when the Dr took her off her feet....at some point in the next year or so she got sharkle, a bone desease you get when you have a bad break. Sharkle travels to the other limbs quickly...and causes the bone to crush in hundreds of pieces, then usually gets infected causing the ulcers...the reason they didn't amputate for so long, is because she has sharkle in both feet. Thru one of her surgery’s she contacted an infection called MRSA. She is a carrier now of that and very often will get a breakout, usually where the body is the weakest. Last December she had a breakout of MRSA in her leg... her gallbladder needed to come out then too, but they couldn't take her to surgery cause MRSA travels to the weakest points in your body. She wouldn't have lived thru if that would have happened. The Dr waited til January10 to do the gallbladder surgery, so there was no chance of MRSA breakout in that area. During her gallbladder surgery, when they lifted her liver, they found 21 cancerous tumors. She also had cancer in the lining of her stomach, and on her kidney and colon. It started out to be ovarian cancer. She had a complete hysterectomy in 95... the Dr left a small piece of an ovary that had cancer cells. It layed dormant all this time, and now quickly spread to a fast growing, aggressive cancer. Four Drs gave her a matter of weeks, to maybe 2 months to live. One of those Drs did lots of research and found a Dr in Spokane that would see Cheryl. Three days later Cheryl was in her office...this Dr took her to surgery the very next morning around 9. After 12 incisions and hours later she came out and said she had gotten ALL the aggressive kind of cancer out. There was some that was imbedded in her colon and stomach that is slow growing that she could not get. The Dr is scanning her every 3 months for the rest of her life, she said if she will take the treatment and scans she should not find this kind fatal. However, more likely than not, the cancer will turn into this aggressive, fast growing kind, so to keep her mind open to chemo and more surgery’s. She is now taking a med, for the rest of her life, that kills hormone cells, cause that is what this cancer feeds on. The med has side effects... usually every week or so she wears out and sleeps for right at 24 hrs, then she seems ok til the next time. It also makes her feel sick a lot of the time.

Newest Update

Journal entry by Rhonda Seaman

Good afternoon everyone,
         It is absolutely the most beautiful day here in Bonners ferry! 😊 The sun is out and it is so pretty outside!
          Just a little update on Cheryl, she saw her lung doctor this past week. We are so grateful and happy that he said her lungs sounded much better! He said they sound basically clear. He at this point, has cleared her to go back to work on very light duty and just a handful of hours a week. She is really looking forward to going back to work. He told us to watch her very closely, cuz she will have trouble with this the rest of her life.
           I'm not sure what all I've updated on this for sure, but we felt it was time to get a second opinion from somebody else that does her legs. She has two new working legs that don't hurt her! This man made them completely different. They walk more like a normal foot, and they're not painful. She has both new legs now. It is so amazing what this man could do for her as far as making her legs that she can walk on and live more of a normal life on.
           So we thank you for your prayers, concerns and love. Keep praying for her. These episodes are very scary, and hopefully we can catch them quicker now and know what we're watching for a little more. Have a good day everyone 😊
Patients and caregivers love hearing from you; add a comment to show your support.
Help Cheryl Stay Connected to Family and Friends

A $25 donation to CaringBridge powers a site like Cheryl's for two weeks. Will you make a gift to help ensure that this site stays online for them and for you?

Comments Hide comments

Show Your Support

See the Ways to Help page to get even more involved.

SVG_Icons_Back_To_Top
Top