Sherry K. Stone Foundation for a Cure

It began as tiny lump on her left breast. Sherry and I met in February of 1998 and instantly became close friends. We had many things in common. A love of life, music, laughter, good food, cigarettes, family, loving friends and we were both coming off of troubled marriages. Yes, I said cigarettes. Sherry smoked about a pack per day for forty years and I about the same for about thirty five years. We became lovers in May of 1998 and she had the tiny lump even then. It was no more than one sixteenth of an inch. I had asked her if she had ever consulted with any doctors about this, but she said they told her it was nothing to worry about. Sherry and I were married on February 26, 2000 and the tiny lump was now maybe a quarter of an inch in diameter. In August of 2001, the lump was now about the size of a nickel and had become painful. Doctors in South Carolina performed a biopsy and Sherry was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent a radical partial mastectomy followed by chemotherapy and radiation treatments. We could finally begin to live our lives together without the fear of cancer. Sherry was always so brave and I often told her how proud I was of her and that she was my hero. Sherry said the real heroes were the doctors and nurses who treated and cared for her. I understood this but, I also understood what she went through in her battle. Losing her hair. The nausea from the chemotherapy. Having to be given two shots per day by me. But we came through it all and we came through it together. Together. That's how we did everything no matter what it was. We were told that although Sherry had won this fight, it's always a possibility that cancer could return within 5 to 7 years. Fast forward seven years. In August of 2008, Sherry was diagnosed with a small cell carcinoma on her left lung. In September she began another round of chemotherapy treatments. In December 2008, Sherry completed the first round of the chemo treatments and tests showed that the tumor had shrunk to less than one centimeter. She was given a break from the treatment for about 90 days to regain her strength before undergoing another round of chemo treatments. Unfortunately, the tumor was also given a break from the treatments and grew at an alarmingly rapid pace. In April 2009, Sherry began her second round of chemotherapy treatments when it was discovered that she had developed lesions on her brain and had to undergo full brain radiation treatments. As a result of the radiation treatments, Sherry's chemo treatments were then put on hold. Once the radiation treatment was concluded, the chemotherapy treatments were resumed. Sherry fought valiantly until the very end. Such was her love for life and "the fear that she might miss something" that she never gave up on life. She showed more courage and guts than I ever thought possible. She loved her family and her friends and she loved me. One year earlier, Sherry was walking five miles a day on a treadmill and now, there are too many angels walking the streets of heaven. It is in her memory that I have established her foundation for a cure. There is no one I or probably you know that hasn't been touched by cancer in some way or another. Unfortunately, there are more questions than answers. Personally, I find this intolerable and I hope that you will join me in helping the various researchers who are looking for these answers. Please give what you can so that one day cancer will be something that is read about in history books and never again cuts anyone's life short. Thank you and God bless you.

Steven Stone - June 2009