Gofundme for Sherry Bogarde-Batten

Sherry has lived a productive and eventful life of figure skating, classical ballet, musical theatre, the stage and movies. She has always been a kind, fun-loving person to her family, friends, and new acquaintances. She is a graceful dancer who can light up a room of seniors in an exercise class. She is the energetic "CRAZY" lady who makes it fun for you to shake your booty and work up a sweat. Sherry is the elegant lady who brings you her signature biscotti and mouthwatering Tiramisu for all to enjoy!

Only her family and closest friends knew that she had been fighting a series of devastating health issues for over 20 years. She battled deadly Scleroderma and Dermatopolymyositis, two extremely painful autoimmune diseases that attack and alter the composition of major organs, blood vessels, and muscles turning the body to stone. Tragically, this should not have happened. This was all due to a very popular metal on metal hip replacement she had in 2007 Alexandria, Va, Pre-operative METAL ALLERGY tests were NEVER DONE to find potential DEADLY risks, and the orthopedic surgeon ignoring (hair loss, rashes, and a Pseudo-Tumer that took over) the allergic warning signs and PAINFUL complications Sherry was getting, post-op. Even with a hip revision, it was too late, her immune system gave up trying to fight this foreign almost permanent metal device, and slowly started fighting Sherry. Deadly auto-immune diseases then set in.

For 10 years she was treated with bi-monthly Immuno-Globulin infusions and Daily Chemo (CYTOXAN) which ultimately gave her MDS-Myelodysplastic Syndrome (a form of leukemia). Sherry is a survivor. She has persevered over cancer twice, a successful bone marrow stem cell transplant that finally destroyed most of the Scleroderma. She has endured multiple spinal fusions, and joint replacements. Sherry loves PEOPLE, loves LIFE.

But now she faces her biggest challenge: the health care system in our country. She has maximized special benefits, and has exhausted governmental and private and corporate support programs that have kept her going. In order to receive the specialized treatments, she participated philanthropically in Medical Trials by providing herself and her health records to the City of Hope, as well as to other research facilities across the United States. Her participation in these medical trials and studies about autoimmune diseases and forms of cancer have given hope for the development of new treatments and ultimately life for patients like her.

Sherry is not a whiner. She is a giver. But now she needs our help. Her oncologist and teams of specialists at The City of Hope have advised her that she has an opportunity to restore her heart and lungs from the calcification and scaring damage to her caused by the scleroderma and dermatopolymyositis. To make this a true success story, she will need a series of treatments and procedures to restore her life to the joyful, shake your booty Sherry days. She will need help to cover some of the treatments and exorbitant cost of medications.

PLEASE help Sherry with your kind donation to www.gofundme.com. With your help, Sherry will dance and again and inspire all of us to groove to the music!