Stage IV Breast Cancer - Sherry's Battle

Hello there,

My name is Courtney and I'm starting this fundraiser on behalf of my mother, who has just been diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer that has spread to her brain.

Her name is Sherry and she is a 59-year-old Army veteran who loves God, her family and friends, and the New York Yankees. A few years ago she was working as a specialist in property preservation before she was ultimately laid off just prior to the pandemic. The pandemic itself made finding substantial employment a challenge as several companies that she was hired on with also endured layoffs eventually, of which, she was typically let go as she hadn't been able to work there for very long yet. Little did we know that a mass was already growing at this stage but, because she was uninsured and afraid, it went untreated for close to a year. Fast forward to a few months ago and she finally lands a dream job as a specialist within a banking company. She's making friends, bills are getting caught up, and things are looking good for a change. After struggling for several years (we lost my grandfather to lung cancer just a few years prior) she was finally starting to make headway on her future.

The day the world came crashing down around us, she came home from work and just didn't seem quite right. In fact, she almost seemed drunk. (We live together and split the bills, so I was able to notice the difference in her behavior on this day.) I immediately helped her inside and asked her about what was going on only to find out that she'd hit her head around 2 weeks prior. I was concerned that she may have a concussion or some damage at this point, so I insisted that she see a doctor, and she finally agreed; allowing me to drive her to urgent care the next day. The next day we saw a doctor who agreed that it was likely a concussion and shouldn't be a major ordeal, provided she was able to get some rest for a while, but wanted to do a CT scan just to be sure there was nothing else going on. The CT scan revealed some abnormalities in her brain, including brain lesions and a small bleed. We were immediately sent to the OU Medical Center downtown for further testing. It was there that the masses were confirmed and the ER surgery team informed us they would not be offering their services to remove them. We were admitted to the non-ER section of the hospital to await further testing results, including a biopsy of the mass on her chest. When we finally met with an oncology team at the hospital, we were assured that chemotherapy and radiation were our primary options; but we would have to await the decision of the neurosurgeon before a treatment plan would be established. If we chose to do nothing, the doctor said her lifespan would be measured in months.

All seemed hopeless but the signs were there. I drove back and forth to the hospital every day and one morning, two doves flew alongside my vehicle for a short while. Strangers would pass us in the hallway and pray with us, or for us, without even knowing who we were. My mom was confident that God would take care of her. It wasn't until the folks with the Stephenson Cancer Center arrived that I finally felt hope beginning to creep back into our lives. We were told that her pathology had come back and the news was as best as we could hope for. It wasn't the highly aggressive type. It was receptive to hormone therapy. With it being the first treatment and given her positive reaction to the steroids she'd been put on at the hospital, there was a good chance it would respond well. I was elated but tried to contain my enthusiasm because we've been burned before. We waited for the neurosurgeon to make his decision.

His news was better than I could have even begun to hope for. He explained to us that while she had 8 - 10 lesions on her head, some of the larger masses were located on the top of her brain and they would eventually grow to impair her motor skills, memory, and more; but he wanted to operate. He was confident that he could remove most of the larger tumors and that anything leftover could be dealt with via radiation. I prayed that I could have just 5 more years with her and now I am given the possibility of 20. Needless to say, we are now awaiting her surgery date on October 2nd. Assuming all goes well, our next step will be to undergo treatment via radiation and/or chemotherapy at the cancer center, and from there is up to God.

In the meantime, she hasn't been with the new job long enough to qualify for paid medical leave of and is limited to 6 weeks of unpaid medical leave. (Don't get me wrong, this is a blessing if she is able to return to work, but I don't know that it will be possible within the six weeks so I'm afraid we're looking at our other options soon.) I am still trying to talk with HR and get things sorted out but I have been unable to work due to the hospital stay. Now that we are home, I can work again, but it's going to take time to get caught up and my job doesn't pay very well. Thankfully my boyfriend is with us so we are able to scrape by for now, but it's an uncertain future at this stage. Her credit card payment has lapsed and been placed on hold, with no option for me to pay from my account unless I provide cash we don't have at the moment, but the bills start coming and they don't stop coming.

I normally wouldn't ask for help but we could really, really use it. You don't have to donate a single penny, we're grateful for your thoughts, prayers, and whatever well wishes you can manage. If you do have the means to donate and wish to do so, your funds will go directly towards medical bills, household bills (mortgage, insurance, groceries, etc.), credit card debt, and other living expenses. Whatever you do, even if it's just reading our story, I thank you for giving us your time. It is the most valuable resource we truly have. In the meantime, we are awaiting surgery on Monday, and I will provide updates as quickly as I can.

Thank you so much and God bless.