Cheri’s Fight is Our Fight

Cheri’s Fight is Our Fight Cheri Long’s journey while battling Stage 4 Oral Cancer.

11/08/2024

One hell of a year....

One year ago today Cheri was told the most devastating thing. "You have Stage 4 cancer."

Then came the chaos....the doctors, the appointments, the treatments, feeding tube, infections, hospital stays, anaphylatic shock, ER visits, the side effects, the loss of normalcy, loss of work, loss of freedom, emotional & mental stress, physical stress and on and on the list goes.

Cheri dealt with all of this with more strength and resilience then I can properly put into words. If ever there was any doubt as to the type of person Cheri is, this last year proves to herself, to her friends & family and to the world that she is the type of human we should all aspire to be.

Strong. Resilient. Determined. Fierce. Compassionate. Selfless. Focused. Transformed. Rare. Powerful. Courageous. Heroic. Steadfast. Inspiring. Beautiful. a Fighter.

And most importantly a SURVIVOR 👊🏻

The hardest part of Cheri's Fight may be over but her journey continues as she fights her way back to her new normal, deals with continued side effects and creates the life that she wants and deserves.

Our hope for Cheri through all of this is that she has felt the love & support from all of her family and friends, that she continues to feel the love & support and that she always remembers one thing......In this family no one fights alone.

We'd like to thank all of you for your support of Cheri through this journey. We are truly humbled by your kindness, love and generosity you have given to our sister and we are eternally grateful 🙏🏻

04/25/2024

Update:

Cheri has had the hardest most difficult 6 months of her life. She has endured one of the most aggressive forms of cancer treatment and she handled it with more grit than most. (Direct quote from her doc 😉)

She has dealt with multiple ER visits, 2 hospitalizations, anaphylaxic shock, infected feeding tube site, a pulmonary embolism, all the typical chemo & radiation side effects, COVID at the end, and now lymphedema.

She has had good days and bad days physically and emotionally but through it all she has kept her s**t together. Cheri has shown herself and the rest of us what true strength, resilience, courage and gumption look like!!

She had the determination that she wasn't going to allow this cancer to defeat her and the determination to do what was necessary to get through not only the treatment but also the recovery process. Because she is a total badass 👊🏻

I am beyond ecstatic to say that all she has gone through has paid off! Cheri had her PETscan and received the results today...CHERI IS OFFICIALLY IN REMISSION!!! 🥳🥳👏🏻👏🏻

Her doctor told her that he could no longer physically feel the tumor in her tongue and the scan showed no evidence of the tumor 🎊🎊💃💃 There is some inflammation that showed in her cervical lymph nodes, which we assumed based on the lymphedema she is experiencing.

Going forward, Cheri will have a follow-up every 3 months with the radiation oncologist for 2 years. This coming week she has follow-ups with the medical oncologist and ENT oncologist and will find out their treatment plan going forward.

To say that Cheri is happy, relieved, excited, emotional, in shock, overwhelmed is just not doing justice to how she is feeling. I told her to feel her feelings no matter what they are and embrace them, she deserves to...she put up one hell of a fight and she fu***ng WON!!!

04/24/2024

Update:

So this week is a big one...Cheri had her follow-up PETscan and is awaiting results 🤞🏻🙏🏻

Otherwise, she has been doing really well. She has been working a bit here and there, trying to get back into somewhat regular routines, driving 🚗, walking Peyton, and going to appointments. Her side effects have really dwindled down except for the lymphedema in her neck and face. She has seen her doctor about it and has been going to the lymphedema clinic. If anyone knows a massage therapist that specializes in manual lymphatic drainage that is in the Princeton/Neponset/Kewanee/Peoria area please let us know. Some days when the swelling is more severe it does get a bit painful and can affect her voice so she is diligently trying to work on keeping the swelling down.

Cheri just celebrated her birthday and is focusing on living for the day and trying not to worry too much about what the future will hold for her.

Please say an extra prayer for her as she waits for the results of her scan. 🙏🏻

It has been too long since I posted and for that I apologize. I haven’t been avoiding you, I promise 😉So let's see, wher...
03/31/2024

It has been too long since I posted and for that I apologize. I haven’t been avoiding you, I promise 😉

So let's see, where do I start? Over the last 40 days things have been moving right along....

- the initial side effects of chemo and radiation have improved
- the radiation burns have significantly improved on Cheri's neck and in her mouth
- her voice is sounding better everyday
- she is eating all sorts of foods, some things go down better than others but she is continually trying. I always ask how the food tastes and so far it seems like things are tasting normal 😋
- since she has been maintaining her weight with eating & drinking meal replacement shakes, her doctor removed her feeding tube 🥳
- Strength and endurance are improving but not as quickly as Cheri would prefer
- she has been into work a few times for just a few hours at Koning Chiropractic 👏🏻
- she has been dealing with some lymphedema in her face and neck so she will start working with a lymphedema clinic soon
- her follow up appointments are going well. Some of her levels on her bloodwork are a little low but her doctors have said that this is typical post chemo and radiation
- follow-up PETscan is scheduled for late April to see how well the treatment worked 🤞🏻🙏🏻

For now, Cheri is doing what anyone in her position would be doing...trying to keep busy when she can and has the energy, trying to do the things necessary for her body and mind to heal and to get to a new normal, and trying to have patience. (Bah, easier said than done, right?!)

I came across this quote and it seemed very fitting of everything that Cheri has been through since November. Her strength, her courage, and her tenacity should be celebrated every damn day. 🫶🏻👊🏻

Continued prayers, good thoughts, and good vibes as always are much appreciated.

02/21/2024

Update:

Today marks 1 month since Cheri’s last radiation treatment!! 🎉

Naturally, there have been good days and bad days and days that are just so-so. And although her progress post treatment might not be moving along at the pace that she would prefer, Cheri has truly made an incredible amount of progress.

She has gone from being in constant pain that required regularly scheduled medication to now being at 10 days without any pain medication and going strong. 💪🏼

She has gone from complete and utter exhaustion to being able to go to the store, doing little things around the house, and even taking Peyton for a walk.

She has gone from not being able to speak a single word to being able to slowly speak a few words at a time to now being able to carry on conversations with just some minor difficulties.

She has gone from not being able to swallow a single thing and completely dependent on her feeding tube, to taking her medication by mouth, drinking meal replacement shakes, and consistently trying to eat different foods. Some of the foods might not go down all that easily or end up tasting very good but she is trying!

Cheri has had a couple of follow-up appointments this week. Her lab work is looking good except her magnesium levels are low so her doctors are treating that. Her doctors also told her that the inside of her mouth is healing well from the radiation burns and that she is now considered to be in the “Survivor Stage” of this journey since she finished treatment!!

Please do NOT take that statement to mean that she is in remission. It means that she is “in the surveillance stage of care, which involves periodic visits to the oncologist for an examination or blood tests” (I took this quote directly from OSF Healthcare’s website)

To that end she will have another follow up with the radiation oncologist next week, then one with the nurse practitioner and lab work in a couple weeks and then she will have a follow-up with her oncologist mid-March. Her next PETscan is not until late April with a follow-up a couple days later.

So, in the meantime, Cheri is continuing to take one day at a time. She is continuing to do the work necessary to aid in the recovery process of her physical, emotional, and mental health. And as always, continuing to be the badass that we all know she is! 👊🏼

We want to thank you all for your continued support of Cheri throughout this most challenging journey. The show of love and support for our sister has been absolutely incredible and we are forever grateful to you all. We will continue to keep you apprised of her progress. ❤️

02/09/2024

Update:

Hey all, sorry it's been a hot minute since I shared an update on Cheri. We'd been so busy leading up to the benefit and then just playing catch up this week that it kind of slipped my mind. 🤦‍♀️

This week, Cheri had a couple of follow up appointments. Her radiation oncologist had hoped she would be further along with swallowing and talking so he decided to put her on a steroid to help with the inflammation in her mouth and throat. Her oncology appointment went well, her lab work is looking good, so she doesn't have to go back for 2 weeks.

I am also happy to report that the severity and frequency of her pain is improving. She has also been taking steps at home to assist in her healing process. She has been setting small daily goals, like going to Walmart to do a little shopping, walking around the house more, trying ice chips & jell-o, and today she even DRANK a meal replacement shake. It took a while to get through it BUT she did it! 🥳

This has been a difficult and emotional process for Cheri but, she is as always, doing what she must to get through this. We've told her to cry when she needs to cry, be angry when she needs to be angry, be thrilled with every step she makes in the process to heal and to always give herself some grace. It took months for her body to get to where it is now and it needs time to heal and recover.

Continued prayers, good vibes and positive thoughts are needed as Cheri fights her way back to a place of normalcy. 🙏🏻❤️

Hey all, we've had a few people ask about ordering shirts so we are going to extend the sale from the benefit through th...
02/07/2024

Hey all, we've had a few people ask about ordering shirts so we are going to extend the sale from the benefit through this Friday, February 9th. So if you want to order a t-shirt or hoodie please message us through this page with your shirt or hoodie size, quantity, and which design # you want.

ALL orders and payments will need to be in by Friday, February 9th. You can pay through Venmo, cash or check. No other orders will be accepted past this Friday. Thank you

Sorry but the bracelets are SOLD OUT!!

The Cheri's Fight benefit this last weekend turned out fantastic!! I know I already posted a "thank you" but I just want...
02/07/2024

The Cheri's Fight benefit this last weekend turned out fantastic!! I know I already posted a "thank you" but I just wanted to say it again... and again and again 😉 Thank to all the donors for the auction items, food for the lunch meal, baked goods, the use of The American Legion, The Dirty Dogg Co****le Club for the bags tournament, and thank you to all the volunteers who helped. We are so blessed to be a part of this wonderful community. 🥰

02/04/2024

Oh you guys 🥹 this benefit was such a great success and I cannot express my gratitude in enough words but ya know I'll try.

Thank you to ALL the people and ALL the businesses who donated for the auction and bake sale!! It's ALL GONE 🎉🎉

Thank you to The American Legion, to David Perkins and Dirty Dogg Co****le Club you guys rock 👊🏻!

Thank you to Jeremy Winter, Lisa Hawkins Miner & Eric Miner, Eran Salzmann & Marcelena Salzmann Salzmann for providing such an amazing meal! 😋 I heard nothing but good things from everyone.

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped plan this, bring this together, keep things rolling today, and for promoting the hell out of this event!

And last but not least, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all of you who were able to make it out to the benefit today. This event couldn't have succeeded without you 🫶🏻

I said today that being able to physically see this show of support and love for Cheri has been amazing and incredibly humbling and I wasn't lying. If every day up to this point wasn't proof enough, today proved just how many lives Cheri has touched and affected throughout her life so far.

So, thank you. Thank you for taking time out of your weekend to give her that and to show her just how much she is truly loved by all of you.

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