Support Sher’i's Battle Against Stage 3 Melanoma

My sister, Sher’i, has recently been diagnosed with Stage 3 Melanoma.

This has come as a surprise & a blow to not only herself, but to those of us that love & cherish her, also.

She is the strongest, smartest, most selfless & forgiving woman that I’ve had the pleasure of growing up alongside. She’s a wonderful Mama to 2 beautiful little girls & a bonus mom to another. ❤️

A surgery is scheduled for April 9th that will entail a wide local excision that will remove about a 4 cm diameter area of skin from the top of her foot. Unfortunately, due to the location of the tumor, they will also need to amputate 3 of her toes. After meeting with her surgical oncologist & receiving a PET scan, the results came back showing suspicious activity in her left groin lymph nodes. Because of this, she’ll be having a brain MRI to check for any potential brain metastasis.

Going forward, she will be on a schedule of 3 month skin checks and will also need to undergo a minimum of 1 year of immunotherapy as part of her treatment plan.

All of this means time away from work, which is something she’s always thrown herself into, taken pride in & has loved to do.

My sister is so strong & has always worked so hard to better herself & provide for her family. She never asks for help. So, I’m asking for her. Please, anything at all will help. For once, I’d like for people to show up for my sister in the ways she’s always shown up for everyone else. ❤️

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for your kindness & support during this difficult time.

If you cannot donate, just please keep my sister, her husband, & my nieces in your thoughts or prayers. ❤️

We love you all.

UPDATE -

Her oncologist has decided it would be best to postpone the April 9th surgery. As she is considered high risk, they want her to have at least two rounds of NIVO/IPI combo therapy, which have to be given 21 days apart. There has been research in recent years that has proven pre-op therapy is much more effective in preventing recurrence than post-op therapy only. Another reason is that her PET scan shows activity in 3 of her lymph nodes, with one being internal.

She will have a separate surgery Monday, March 31st for a lymph node biopsy to determine if cancer cells are present, in which case, those may be removed at her next surgery. Friday, April 4th will be her first NIVO/IPI treatment. We’ve been told this medication is very strong & that she will have to be monitored closely. Sometimes, the side effects are minimal but other times, they can also be dangerous & have lifelong effects, but her & her team believe the benefits outweigh the risks. ❤️ If she has a pathological complete response, these two rounds could potentially be the only treatment she will need other than surgery.

Thank you all for such overwhelming support. ❤️❤️