Blessings for Sherri
Donation protected
Please consider financially supporting a dear friend of ours, Sherri Crissman, who is battling a rare form of cancer. While Sherri and her husband Joe's faith remains strong, their financial needs have been mounting due to medical expenses and Joe's lost wages. Joe is Sherri's primary caregiver and faithfully supports his wife every step of her journey.
We are raising funds to support Joe and Sherri with their medical expenses during this time. Anything you can contribute will be a blessing!
Sherri tells her story in more detail below:
Back in October of last year, I woke up one morning, looked in the mirror and noticed my face didn’t look right, the one side of my face had drooped, my eye seemed to be stuck open and I couldn’t smile, when I tried to smile it looked more like a smirk. I couldn’t talk very well either, nothing on that side of my face worked. Later we’ve come to find that it’s called the seventh cranial nerve that controls these functions.
I’ve been told I have a rare cancer. It’s a radiation induced sarcoma, it’s located in my neck and skull base area and very close to my carotid artery. I had radiation therapy to this area 20 years ago.
We are raising funds to support Joe and Sherri with their medical expenses during this time. Anything you can contribute will be a blessing!
Sherri tells her story in more detail below:
Back in October of last year, I woke up one morning, looked in the mirror and noticed my face didn’t look right, the one side of my face had drooped, my eye seemed to be stuck open and I couldn’t smile, when I tried to smile it looked more like a smirk. I couldn’t talk very well either, nothing on that side of my face worked. Later we’ve come to find that it’s called the seventh cranial nerve that controls these functions.
I’ve been told I have a rare cancer. It’s a radiation induced sarcoma, it’s located in my neck and skull base area and very close to my carotid artery. I had radiation therapy to this area 20 years ago.
In December I started my first round of chemo at Penn State Hershey, 7th floor for 5 days. The goal of the chemo is to shrink the tumor enough for it be operable. After completing 5 rounds (Dec - March) the CT scan showed that the mass had shrunk but the ENT surgeon at Hershey still thought it was too intimately involved with the carotid artery to operate. It was recommended by my Oncologist that we consult with the doctors at MSK, a leading sarcoma center in America.
A few weeks ago we made our second trip to New York to meet with MSK’s Head & Neck Surgeon. I had imaging done that morning, the doctor did not get the full report back on the MRI done that day nor have the chance to fully study it yet but asked me if I’d entertain surgery, he still needed to consult with his colleagues and other surgeons who would be involved before he could commit to doing this complicated surgery. He said that even if surgery was not possible there other ways of treating this but surgery would be the most aggressive way of treating my cancer and I would still probably need radiation therapy and possibly additional rounds of chemo to knock it all out.
During our next trip to New York we met with the an MSK Radiation Oncologist who explained Proton Therapy treatments which are done at a facility in New Jersey, I would receive 7 weeks of treatment 5 days a week. We did not know at the time whether the Head & Neck Surgeon was 100% on board with surgery yet and this sounded like a really good option. Later that day when we returned from our round trip to New York the Head & Neck Doctor called to tell us that surgery was indeed an option and if I choose that route to call back that following Monday and have his office send orders for additional scans for the other physicians who would be involved in the surgery to review. I had a big decision to make, a big invasive surgery in New York or proton therapy in New Jersey. I decided to go with surgery.
Here’s where it gets confusing. During my last Hershey appointment with my Oncologist I gave her a copy of the scans they did in New York, she in turn shared them with the Hershey Head & Neck Surgeon who contacted the surgeon in New York. Together they discussed my scans, she provided him with additional scans that were taken before I started my chemo treatments. Now it appears as though he’s rethinking the surgery. I was told that he needed to discuss it again with the Tumor Board and a decision would be made after that. (I expect to know on Thursday or Friday)
If the Head & Neck Surgeon agrees to perform the surgery I would need to spend about 2 1/2 weeks recovering at MSK. Joe, who has been by my side since my first chemo treatment on December 19, would like to be with me during this time in New York. If surgery is off the table then Proton Therapy would be my next best option.
We’ve been surviving off our savings account for the last 4 months, traveling to New York is very expensive. My husband has been able to work a few days here and there between my appointments and chemo treatments but most of his paycheck goes toward paying back health insurance premiums that need to be caught up. We’re looking at at least an additional 3 week leave of absence if surgery is an option (plus additional days for follow up appointments in New York) if we go with Proton Therapy, 7 weeks.
We’ve been blessed with so many kind people in our lives. Thank you to our friends and family at Living Hope Community Church, our neighbors, our work friends, my Sisters-In-Law and The Millers in Goshen! I can’t begin to tell you how much each and every one of you has meant to us!
A few weeks ago we made our second trip to New York to meet with MSK’s Head & Neck Surgeon. I had imaging done that morning, the doctor did not get the full report back on the MRI done that day nor have the chance to fully study it yet but asked me if I’d entertain surgery, he still needed to consult with his colleagues and other surgeons who would be involved before he could commit to doing this complicated surgery. He said that even if surgery was not possible there other ways of treating this but surgery would be the most aggressive way of treating my cancer and I would still probably need radiation therapy and possibly additional rounds of chemo to knock it all out.
During our next trip to New York we met with the an MSK Radiation Oncologist who explained Proton Therapy treatments which are done at a facility in New Jersey, I would receive 7 weeks of treatment 5 days a week. We did not know at the time whether the Head & Neck Surgeon was 100% on board with surgery yet and this sounded like a really good option. Later that day when we returned from our round trip to New York the Head & Neck Doctor called to tell us that surgery was indeed an option and if I choose that route to call back that following Monday and have his office send orders for additional scans for the other physicians who would be involved in the surgery to review. I had a big decision to make, a big invasive surgery in New York or proton therapy in New Jersey. I decided to go with surgery.
Here’s where it gets confusing. During my last Hershey appointment with my Oncologist I gave her a copy of the scans they did in New York, she in turn shared them with the Hershey Head & Neck Surgeon who contacted the surgeon in New York. Together they discussed my scans, she provided him with additional scans that were taken before I started my chemo treatments. Now it appears as though he’s rethinking the surgery. I was told that he needed to discuss it again with the Tumor Board and a decision would be made after that. (I expect to know on Thursday or Friday)
If the Head & Neck Surgeon agrees to perform the surgery I would need to spend about 2 1/2 weeks recovering at MSK. Joe, who has been by my side since my first chemo treatment on December 19, would like to be with me during this time in New York. If surgery is off the table then Proton Therapy would be my next best option.
We’ve been surviving off our savings account for the last 4 months, traveling to New York is very expensive. My husband has been able to work a few days here and there between my appointments and chemo treatments but most of his paycheck goes toward paying back health insurance premiums that need to be caught up. We’re looking at at least an additional 3 week leave of absence if surgery is an option (plus additional days for follow up appointments in New York) if we go with Proton Therapy, 7 weeks.
We’ve been blessed with so many kind people in our lives. Thank you to our friends and family at Living Hope Community Church, our neighbors, our work friends, my Sisters-In-Law and The Millers in Goshen! I can’t begin to tell you how much each and every one of you has meant to us!
Organizer and beneficiary
Kevin N Glenda Wenger
Organizer
Lancaster, PA
Sherri Crissman
Beneficiary