Help for Cheryl
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Cheryl.
It seems that everyone has a story about Cheryl Denz, her farm, Terra Optima, her animals, her poems, or her community outreach. My relationship with Cheryl began one year ago, when I retired my horse, Simon, to her farm. She told me his only responsibilities would be to walk to the field, eat, and be adored, and I have learned in the past year, that every animal there is adored. Aside from running a farm that raises, cows, chickens, goats (one sheep), horses (and very loveable donkey), pigs, pigs, and more pigs, Cheryl also does landscaping design, teaching, and writing. She also volunteers. A LOT. In her free time Cheryl… wait, no, Cheryl has no “free” time, and yet I have never heard her complain about the work. In fact, when I first pitched this fundraising idea to her I suggested that “Maybe this money would allow you to take some time off?” To which she responded “I don’t need to work less, I need to work more!” I suppose this is the mentality that is required to run a successful farm for over 20 years.
With the inception of her farm blog on facebook five years ago, Terra Optima has become a Midcoast icon, with such an influx of visitors that I sometimes wonder how Cheryl manages to get any work done at all.
This community is made better because of people like Cheryl. People who have given far more than they ever take.
This week Cheryl bravely revealed that she is struggling with difficult medical diagnosis of her blood and blood vessels, that can only be managed with high doses of steroids, which come with a litany of their own side effects. We all know that even with good health insurance, basic medical treatments can cause major debt. Being sick is stressful enough, without the additional concern of survival.
It is my hope that we can raise enough money to cover Cheryl’s current and future medical debt, any alternative treatments that may help manage symptoms, and of course keep all the animals knee deep in carrots and oats and popcorn.
Thank you for your generosity.
From Cheryl:
Posted June 27, 2017
4:15 am Farm Report
After much internal debate....
Do I write about this or not
I decided
Why Not
Not about the Farm
Definitely about the Farmer
and
Healthcare
One doctor
One year and one half
knowing something
was very very wrong inside myself
But what?
Shortness of breath
Unexplained rashes
Nasal cavity lesions
Hemorrhaging under my skin
Low fevers
Cold night sweats
Coughing gasping for air no apparent reason
Me
Some of these things
Figured
Getting old worked work hard
Something is bound to give
The breathing the breathing really really hard
Even I
couldn't chalk that up to aging
One doctor
Persevered
Thought he knew what might be ailing me
Had to rule out
Cancer
Blood Cancer Specifically
Tried a few experiments with
Medication
Left me nearly blind with fluid pressuring
My Optic Nerve
That's why periodically
I couldn't write
Couldn't see the key pad
Fortunately for me
six weeks later
My eye sight returned....for now
I wanted to give up
I was scared so scared
maybe maybe I am imagining this...
The sweating lack of sleep
If it hadn't been that I was having trouble breathing
now intense nausea
Can't get off the Farm much
One doctor said
Hang in there with me...
So many blood tests later
So many So many
Lead to
Bone marrow biopsy
eventually
a CT scan
showing enlarged lymph nodes everywhere inside me
Especially in my lungs....
Now
Comes the lung biopsy
By this time
I can hardly speak sleep stand
coughing gasping choking
I spent a few days afterward
Under the weather
Waiting the worst...
There is a diagnosis of inflammation of my blood
Affects
Every Single Organ
Start with skin and keep going inside
Currently affecting my lungs
Go figure...
Now
There is no cure
but some relief of symptoms with
Strong high doses of
Steroids possibly oral chemotherapy
Looking into alternatives...
However long my life is
There will be this problem
This news about one month old
Folks close to me know
Neighbors Friends stepped up offered a hand
Mostly
I have been trying to get used to this
Keep going
Keep going
Walking Orrie yesterday
Nausea so strong
I wondered would I make it home
Stopped at the mailbox
Within
A mountain of bills
Hospital stay biopsies blood work
Some things
I'll have to look up don't have a clue
So far the total charges
At least
Six times my yearly income
Fortunately
I have insurance
Obamacare
Many things are covered I am truly truly grateful
I'm just getting these first bills now
More are coming
More tests scans biopsies in the near future
When I opened my news feed
All about the
New Healthcare Bill
Which would leave me personally me
Probably dead
A little sooner than expected
Remembering
This is a blood disorder
Every single organ affected maybe maybe not
Show up devastating liver eyesight kidneys lungs...
Whenever it wants
Or Not
I'm older
Not well off
Earning potential diminishing
Medical bills
Forever Now
If I can't have or keep my insurance....
What will I do...?
The writing this morning
Personal
About the Farmer
There is an
Absolute Need for Healthcare that Works
For All of Us
Keep urging those in charge
Our lives on the line
Work together figure it out
Compassionately
Thoughtfully
Right or Left
Doesn't matter when you're broken sick dying
We need to take care of each other
That
Should Come Naturally....
Thank you for your time this morning.
I'm off to the barn
I'll be back later
It seems that everyone has a story about Cheryl Denz, her farm, Terra Optima, her animals, her poems, or her community outreach. My relationship with Cheryl began one year ago, when I retired my horse, Simon, to her farm. She told me his only responsibilities would be to walk to the field, eat, and be adored, and I have learned in the past year, that every animal there is adored. Aside from running a farm that raises, cows, chickens, goats (one sheep), horses (and very loveable donkey), pigs, pigs, and more pigs, Cheryl also does landscaping design, teaching, and writing. She also volunteers. A LOT. In her free time Cheryl… wait, no, Cheryl has no “free” time, and yet I have never heard her complain about the work. In fact, when I first pitched this fundraising idea to her I suggested that “Maybe this money would allow you to take some time off?” To which she responded “I don’t need to work less, I need to work more!” I suppose this is the mentality that is required to run a successful farm for over 20 years.
With the inception of her farm blog on facebook five years ago, Terra Optima has become a Midcoast icon, with such an influx of visitors that I sometimes wonder how Cheryl manages to get any work done at all.
This community is made better because of people like Cheryl. People who have given far more than they ever take.
This week Cheryl bravely revealed that she is struggling with difficult medical diagnosis of her blood and blood vessels, that can only be managed with high doses of steroids, which come with a litany of their own side effects. We all know that even with good health insurance, basic medical treatments can cause major debt. Being sick is stressful enough, without the additional concern of survival.
It is my hope that we can raise enough money to cover Cheryl’s current and future medical debt, any alternative treatments that may help manage symptoms, and of course keep all the animals knee deep in carrots and oats and popcorn.
Thank you for your generosity.
From Cheryl:
Posted June 27, 2017
4:15 am Farm Report
After much internal debate....
Do I write about this or not
I decided
Why Not
Not about the Farm
Definitely about the Farmer
and
Healthcare
One doctor
One year and one half
knowing something
was very very wrong inside myself
But what?
Shortness of breath
Unexplained rashes
Nasal cavity lesions
Hemorrhaging under my skin
Low fevers
Cold night sweats
Coughing gasping for air no apparent reason
Me
Some of these things
Figured
Getting old worked work hard
Something is bound to give
The breathing the breathing really really hard
Even I
couldn't chalk that up to aging
One doctor
Persevered
Thought he knew what might be ailing me
Had to rule out
Cancer
Blood Cancer Specifically
Tried a few experiments with
Medication
Left me nearly blind with fluid pressuring
My Optic Nerve
That's why periodically
I couldn't write
Couldn't see the key pad
Fortunately for me
six weeks later
My eye sight returned....for now
I wanted to give up
I was scared so scared
maybe maybe I am imagining this...
The sweating lack of sleep
If it hadn't been that I was having trouble breathing
now intense nausea
Can't get off the Farm much
One doctor said
Hang in there with me...
So many blood tests later
So many So many
Lead to
Bone marrow biopsy
eventually
a CT scan
showing enlarged lymph nodes everywhere inside me
Especially in my lungs....
Now
Comes the lung biopsy
By this time
I can hardly speak sleep stand
coughing gasping choking
I spent a few days afterward
Under the weather
Waiting the worst...
There is a diagnosis of inflammation of my blood
Affects
Every Single Organ
Start with skin and keep going inside
Currently affecting my lungs
Go figure...
Now
There is no cure
but some relief of symptoms with
Strong high doses of
Steroids possibly oral chemotherapy
Looking into alternatives...
However long my life is
There will be this problem
This news about one month old
Folks close to me know
Neighbors Friends stepped up offered a hand
Mostly
I have been trying to get used to this
Keep going
Keep going
Walking Orrie yesterday
Nausea so strong
I wondered would I make it home
Stopped at the mailbox
Within
A mountain of bills
Hospital stay biopsies blood work
Some things
I'll have to look up don't have a clue
So far the total charges
At least
Six times my yearly income
Fortunately
I have insurance
Obamacare
Many things are covered I am truly truly grateful
I'm just getting these first bills now
More are coming
More tests scans biopsies in the near future
When I opened my news feed
All about the
New Healthcare Bill
Which would leave me personally me
Probably dead
A little sooner than expected
Remembering
This is a blood disorder
Every single organ affected maybe maybe not
Show up devastating liver eyesight kidneys lungs...
Whenever it wants
Or Not
I'm older
Not well off
Earning potential diminishing
Medical bills
Forever Now
If I can't have or keep my insurance....
What will I do...?
The writing this morning
Personal
About the Farmer
There is an
Absolute Need for Healthcare that Works
For All of Us
Keep urging those in charge
Our lives on the line
Work together figure it out
Compassionately
Thoughtfully
Right or Left
Doesn't matter when you're broken sick dying
We need to take care of each other
That
Should Come Naturally....
Thank you for your time this morning.
I'm off to the barn
I'll be back later
Organizer and beneficiary
Alison Wheeler
Organizer
Rockland, ME
Cheryl Denz
Beneficiary