Sheri’s Story
Hi, my name is Sheri.
I felt a pull in my chest in the middle of March 2023 and thought I had pulled a muscle because I recently had begun working out with a trainer. A few days later, I was getting ready for work and saw a lump where the pain was on my upper chest. I messaged my friend and asked if she could feel it at work that morning. She felt it and I could see in her eyes that she was serious—and I needed to make an appointment with my doctor. Had she not said that, I do not know if I would have made the appointment.
My doctor saw me a few days later and sent me for an ultrasound and mammogram a week later. When the ultrasound was finished, a technician came in and handed me a brochure for a biopsy that I was scheduled for 3 weeks later. I walked out to my car and immediately started crying because I already knew. I knew something was wrong and this was not going away. I was not prepared for what could be wrong or the hefty bill that my insurance was not covering parts of these tests.
I went to Texas for work and to visit my best friend while waiting the 7-10 days for the results from the biopsy. A few hours before I was to head home to Orlando, I received a call from my GP and she told me in very technical terms that I had breast cancer and that she was referring me to specialists. The next day, I received a call from a breast surgeon and this whole cancer adventure took off. There were no checklists or maps to follow. I was diagnosed May 1st, had a lumpectomy June 1st, then a double masectomy July 21st because they found more cancer during the lumpectomy.
While I waited for the pathology from my DMX and reconstruction surgery, I took a trip to Colorado to hike and take a break. I'm so thankful that I did that, because I later found out that I would need 16 rounds of chemotherapy, radiation, and hormone therapy. I did not have the BRCA gene and breast cancer did not run in my family...I have one cousin who had a different cancer a few years ago and my father had skin cancer, but the rest of my family was clear of cancer. This came as a shock to me. And the more that I researched, the more I started to feel like I had done something to give myself cancer.
Cancer has turned my whole life upside down. I have not been able to work since my first surgery as I work as a behavior analyst with children and adults and I cannot be client facing due to my immune compromised body. I have a few mental health diagnoses and my therapist and psychiatrist have had to work with me to change medications that do not mix well with chemo. The changes to my body physically were something I thought would not bother me...but oh I was so wrong. Looking in the mirror is a constant reminder that I am sick and my life is different and I am not in control. The rollercoaster of emotions, doctors appointments, waiting for results and explaining things to others is a full time job.
Through all this, my positivity and faith has definitely ebbed and flowed. My village has been amazing in ways I never expected and finding a community like Cathy Angel has built through Boxed by an Angel, helps remind me that there are still happy things and people in this world. LIttle things mean the world…and I hope that sharing my story helps someone else know that they are not alone.
-Sheri
