Hello everyone. Above is Cheryl Roberts, my beautiful grandma, who passed away this past Tuesday on Veteran’s Day. She would of been 70 years old on 11/22 this year.

Cheryl was a nurse for 30+ years. Her husband was an Army vet, and they both loved helping people. When she first started nursing, she helped open and work at the cancer treatment center in Zion, Illinois, and eventually worked her way up to head of nursing, leading an entire nursing home for about 20 years until she retired.

She conquered colon cancer about a year and a half ago and a grand mal seizure in 2023. Ever since then, her body has not been the same, and it was a very difficult recovery for her. She went on oxygen because of COPD, and over the last few months, her lungs and body slowly got weaker. Her body retained carbon dioxide instead of releasing it, which made her often confused and irritated, leading to her needing rehabilitation. She went to two different nursing homes and was in and out of the hospital every other week since about May. She was at her final nursing home for about a month and was just recently placed on hospice. The plan was to bring her home on hospice as was her wish, but God had other plans in mind, and we did not get to make that happen. She unfortunately passed in her sleep early morning of 11/11, and we were unable to say goodbye.

My grandma has been helping take care of my brother, sister, and me since we were little. My mom, her daughter, passed away in 2023, and after that moment, my grandma especially stepped in and did everything for us. She paid bills, medical bills, loans, and paid for a lot of medications over the last year, which did not leave her with much spending money. She worked hard all of her life but still unfortunately did not get very many benefits towards the end, and the state left her and now us with nothing. I know she touched and helped a lot of people and would give the shirt off her back to someone who needed it. That’s the kind of person she was: kind, loving, strong-willed, and would do anything for the people she loved.

My family and I are in need of help to fund her funeral and memorial given the tough circumstances we were left with. We are all doing our best, working paycheck to paycheck, and would appreciate anything anyone can give even if it’s a prayer or by sharing this. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Again, we appreciate any love, and support we have been getting after losing the biggest light in our life. She is shining through all of us.