2023-08-21 12:50:00
Suffering from terminal cancer, Cheryle, a 50-year-old from Belgium, wants to hold her head up high for her two youngest children, Kobe, 13, and Vince, 14. “The euthanasia papers are ready, but for my children, I will persevere until the last breath” confides the fifty-year-old from Overijse in the columns of HLN.
The mother of the family fought for more than two years against the disease, until she learned that she only had three months left to live. Thanks to the treatments, she still hopes to gain some time with her children, who see their mother suffer every day.
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“I have already shed a lot of tears. Cancer takes everything: physically, mentally and socially. My family is all I have left. It is for them that I continue to fight, ”says Cheryle, who was diagnosed in January 2021. It was during a medical examination that the doctors had discovered two cysts and an inflammation in the chest of the mother of family. “But it didn’t matter, I was told. Until, five days later, the family doctor suddenly advised me to go to the hospital emergency room. There, I had to undergo several examinations, ”says Cheryle again. “I didn’t panic, I still thought everything was fine,” she adds.
“I couldn’t do anything anymore”
Then the verdict fell. The 50-year-old was taken to a separate room and learned that she had a severe form of breast cancer. “I burst into tears. My 22 year old son picked me up. During the whole journey, we said nothing, the shock was so great,” says Cheryle. And that’s where the nightmare began. “A week after the diagnosis, I was told that there were metastases in my pelvis and my vertebrae. I couldn’t do anything anymore,” she explains.
The only thing that was still possible was to slow down the disease as much as possible. “I’ve been through real hell. For five months, I stayed in bed, mortally ill, during the heavy chemotherapy”, confides the mother of the family. Two years after the diagnosis, another blow: metastases are found in the peritoneum and the fallopian tubes. “According to the doctors, the cancer will soon reach my organs. And that means the beginning of the end,” Cheryle again tragically explains.
“Every day we see how much mum is suffering”
The most important thing for her now is to spend the time she has left with her loved ones. “The new chemo I’m about to start just buys me time. Every month that I can earn with my family is nice. If the treatment is not effective, I probably won’t make it to the end of the year, ”explains the 50-year-old, who says she is not afraid of dying. “On the other hand, I am afraid of the last day. According to the doctor, I will have to endure hellish pain because of the cancer in my bones. That’s why I took my precautions. The euthanasia papers are ready. But it’s not in my character to give up. Until the last moment, I will continue to fight. For my children and my grandchildren. Only if the pain is truly intolerable will I opt for euthanasia,” concludes Cheryle.
Cheryle’s two youngest children, Kobe and Vince, came to terms with the idea that they would lose their mom young. “Not being able to say goodbye would be the worst thing in the world. I want to be with mom when she lives her last moments, “says the eldest, Vince. “Every day we see how much mum is suffering. And it hurts us too. I just don’t want her to suffer anymore. If euthanasia is the only solution, then I am at peace with that,” adds the teenager.
In order to be able to travel one last time with their mother, Cheryle’s six children have contributed to offer her a stay in Spain.
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