Cherie's Battle Against Bile Duct Carcinoma
Donation protected
Cherie Messina (nee Sontag) is in a fight for her life against Stage 4 Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma/Bile Duct Carcinoma. This is a rare form of cancer with less than 10,000 diagnosed cases per year. It usually is not diagnosed until the late stages, making treatment more challenging. Her doctors have a plan and she needs your help.
For those who do not know, Cherie lost her husband (and the kids lost their dad) less than two years ago on June 26th, 2022 to liver cancer. Tim Messina passed very quickly following his diagnosis. Cherie, Catherine, Andrew, and Abby are still grieving and still learning to live as a family without Tim. While learning to cope with this unimaginable change in their lives, Cherie has been serving as the sole bread winner for the family. Tim’s medical bills and other debts are still in the process of being paid off and the twins are still in college. She is not able to work and clearly has a lot on her plate. The twins are doing as Cherie has asked and finishing the semester away at school. Catherine lives at home and works full-time.
She is helping however she can to save on Cherie's finances - something no parent ever thinks they will need their child to do - and unfortunately, this does not come close to supplementing the gap created by Tim's loss and Cherie's diagnosis. Nevertheless, Cherie is proud of and thankful for Catherine’s help and for the twins’ fortitude in continuing their studies. As her friends, family, neighbors, colleagues, fans, and associates, we can help too.
Here is how you can help: financially, spiritually, educationally, and with humor:
- Financially – Donate via GoFundMe to help Cherie cover medical expenses and also her regular expenses while she is unable to work. Even with health insurance, Cherie’s financial share of her medical care is staggering.
- Spiritually – Pray for Cherie, Catherine, Andrew, and Abby. Pray for her parents, siblings, everyone who loves her, and for her healthcare team. If you share Cherie’s Catholic faith, consider praying the rosary or completing a Novena to St. Peregrine, the patron saint of people with cancer. Whatever your spiritual approach, Cherie has faith it will help her heal and her kids to cope.
- Educationally – Cherie-being-Cherie, she is massively focused on wanting to educate you on this rare form of cancer. Bile Duct Cancer is not liver cancer. It is cancer of the bile tree in the liver, causing tumors to grow on the liver. It is not a curable cancer and the only "solution" is to receive a liver transplant. If the doctors are able to shrink and prevent tumor growth, she will become eligible for a transplant. Cherie wants you to know that if you feel pain or a mass in your abdominal region, do not ignore it. Do not “wait and see” what happens. Get it checked out. Initially her primary doctor thought Cherie was having gallbladder problems. Her daughter Abby is a nursing student. If she had not palpated the mass in Cherie’s liver and recommended she immediately follow up with the doctor, Cherie may not have received her diagnosis in time.
- With Humor – Cherie has named the largest tumor “Pierre.” Her port is “Pepe Le Port.” Treatment started February 7th and we want Pepe to kill Pierre. Please think #PepemustdestroyPierre every time you think of Cherie.
This page will feature updates regarding Cherie's journey and keep everyone posted on her progress and prognosis. For now, Cherie has asked that no one bring her meals or start a Meal Train. The family has special dietary requirements and there will be times when Cherie is unable to eat. If you would like to help with meals, it would be better to send food delivery app gift cards in lieu of meals. Amazon gift cards are also welcome to help with other household necessities. On behalf of Cherie, Catherine, Andrew, and Abby, we thank you for your support during this challenging time.
Co-organizers (4)
Catherine Messina
Organizer
Ballwin, MO
Cherie Messina
Beneficiary
Carisa Pursell
Co-organizer
Diane Carrara
Co-organizer