Cheryl's struggle through cancer and chemo.

Hi my name is Cheryl.My journey with cancer, chemo, and the impact of my illness begin with caring for my parents.

My father had suffered a stroke. My parents were in their late eighties so I brought them from Louisiana to stay with me in Texas during covid. My father health continued to decline.

I went through FMLA and all my personal leave. My dad’s heath reached hospice care so I resigned from my job in July 2021 to care for him. I was using withdrawals from my 401K to support my finances at this time. He passed away August 3, 2021. My dad was wisdom, advice, support, encouragement, and love to me, my 2 daughters and my oldest daughter’s two daughters.

I believe my illness was beginning to show but I thought it was grief. I was tried all the time. I wasn’t eating well.

I went back to work in March 2022 through a consultant firm. I was placed with a client company that I really liked working with. I was feeling extremely tired at the end of the day but still thought it was related to grief.

By late June I was having trouble keeping food down. I thought it was acid reflux. On July 20, 2022 after work, my 19 year old daughter insisted I go to the emergency room at BSWH in Pflugerville. I thought ok I am probably severely dehydrated. I was admitted and sent to BSWH in Roundrock. They ran a scope, found a mass, and transferred me to BSWH in Temple.

It was cancer. They weren’t sure what organs may have been impacted at the time. My oldest daughter was preparing to give a kidney if needed. I would need a wipple surgery. I first had to pass a stress test to make sure my heart could withstand the surgery. I would think that I was Secretariat for the stress test and the surgery. My heart could take it. My surgery date was set for August 2, 2022. The doctor said I would need someone at home to care for me so my 19 year immediately changed her on full time campus status to part time remote. The hospital would have released me until the surgery but the insurance wouldn’t cover the homecare for the feeding tube I was on. This meant I couldn’t go back to work.

My contract was canceled. I returned to drawing funds from my 401k.

My surgery was successful. It was duodenal adenocarcinoma. I began chemo in October. I would receive two treatments per month for a total of 12 treatments. It now November and I know I can’t financially make it through the end of my chemo treatment.

I applied for disability but it will take 9 months before it starts.

I am an only child and very independent so this is hard. I am asking for help.