{"id":1599,"date":"2018-03-01T09:00:12","date_gmt":"2018-03-01T14:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1599"},"modified":"2018-03-13T11:01:44","modified_gmt":"2018-03-13T15:01:44","slug":"cheryl-garofano","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1599","title":{"rendered":"Sheryl Garofano"},"content":{"rendered":"

Putting an Exclamation Point on Life\u00a0<\/em><\/h1>\n

By Carol Radin | Photography by Alice G. Patterson<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Sheryl Garofano is on a journey. Diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer 18 months ago, she traverses new challenges every day: chemotherapy treatments, surgeries and side effects; the constant search to educate herself and her family about her treatment options; and, above all, the emotional challenge of sustaining her sense of self.<\/p>\n

Sheryl was about to retire after 20 years as a career and technical education teacher at Cicero-North Syracuse High School, when she started treatment for what was initially diagnosed as diverticulitis. Then, a colonoscopy and a subsequent CT scan revealed something far more serious. She had colon cancer that had metastasized to her liver and affected several lymph nodes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt pulls the rug right out from under you,\u201d she said, describing the feeling of fear and powerlessness.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t long, though, before she began to take control, examine her options and summon her support network.<\/p>\n

After her own research and discussions with doctors, one of the most important realizations Sheryl has made is that with new treatments and knowledge, later stage cancers are seen \u201cless as cured\/not cured, and treated more like chronic illnesses managed over time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, Sheryl is tenaciously committed to her ongoing treatments, surgical procedures and consultations. Shortly after the diagnosis, she began a six-month-long series of chemotherapy treatments. Her follow-up tests were promising: the tumors on her colon and liver had shrunk.<\/p>\n

Months later, though, the tumors and liver lesions had returned. Sheryl and her husband, Mark, sought opinions at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. At Johns Hopkins, Sheryl had liver resection surgery to remove the lesions.<\/p>\n

In December 2017, she had surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to implant a hepatic arterial infusion pump in her abdomen. The pump is a hockey puck-sized device that pumps stronger chemotherapy medication to her liver. At that time, she also had her spleen and gallbladder removed.<\/p>\n

Traveling from city to city and hospital to hospital for surgery and medication regimens is a way of life for Sheryl now, although it is not her entire life. She\u2019s found that many days, she can enjoy her personal pursuits and quality time with Mark, their four grown children and four grandchildren.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like putting an exclamation point on everything,\u201d Sheryl said.<\/p>\n

She and Mark have decided to stop talking about things and start doing them. Travel is high on the list: more camping trips on their motorcycle, an upcoming visit to her brother in Florida, and \u2014 most ambitious of all \u2014 a prospective trip to Kenya, where her daughter and three of her grandchildren live.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t talk myself out of stuff like I used to,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s also strengthened her connection to friends. When she can\u2019t see them in person, she shares updates about her condition on her blog on Caring Bridge, a social media platform. It keeps her from having to relay the same information time and time again, and also helps her friends coordinate visits and meal-making on Sheryl\u2019s tiring chemotherapy days.<\/p>\n

\u201cRealize it\u2019s OK sometimes to just not feel that great,\u201d she advised. \u201cAsk for help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Supportive family and friends aside, the feeling of being alone is one of the more difficult emotional challenges Sheryl faces.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you get right down to it, it\u2019s you facing it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Online resources have helped. She recommends Colontown, a Facebook community of colon cancer survivors, and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, which offers chatrooms, informative articles, webinars and podcasts. She\u2019s also discovered the Livestrong program at her local YMCA, which has given her new bonds with other cancer survivors.<\/p>\n

Sheryl\u2019s personal journey continues day by day. Soon, she will begin a systemic chemotherapy series she\u2019s trying for the first time. Combining that with the HAI pump\u2019s more targeted treatment is found to increase overall effectiveness, she said. She\u2019s ready to explore the new possibilities. SWM <\/em><\/p>\n

Want to support cancer research? Visit cancer.org<\/a> to learn what you can do to help. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Putting an Exclamation Point on Life\u00a0 By Carol Radin | Photography by Alice G. Patterson\u00a0 Sheryl Garofano is on a journey. Diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer 18 months ago, she traverses new challenges every day: chemotherapy treatments, surgeries and side effects; the constant search to educate herself and her family about her treatment options;…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1630,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[146,312,549,569,548],"class_list":["post-1599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-alice-g-patterson","tag-carol-radin","tag-march-2018","tag-sheryl-garofano","tag-the-womens-history-empowerment-edition"],"gutentor_comment":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Sheryl-Garofano-0001-1.jpg?fit=5200%2C3448&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2090,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2090","url_meta":{"origin":1599,"position":0},"title":"Anne Snowdon","author":"Staff","date":"September 28, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Breast Cancer Warrior By Carol Radin | By Marita Hughes\u00a0 When Anne Snowdon started treatment for breast cancer, she decided to be like a phoenix, the mythical bird that dies and is reborn. 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