02 Nov Update on Cheryl Leighton

Joe Leighton sent the following update on October 29 concerning the condition of his wife, Cheryl.

“Cheryl has been discharged from The James Cancer hospitalm because at this point she can be treated on an outpatient basis. Her next round of chemo is November 8. She has been admitted to a rehabilitation hospital for several different types of therapy: speech, so that she can learn to speak with a trach; respiratory, so she can have the trach downsized and hopefully removed altogether (she has a lot of swelling on the inside of her throat that currently hinders this; eating by mouth, which she has seldom done for the past two months, so the appetite must be rebuilt; physical, as she has been hospitalized for nearly two months now.

“Further complicating this is that the chemo she needs for the cancer can cause nerve damage, and we are beginning to see that with a condition called drop foot. We don’t know the severity as yet. Sometimes it can be treated with therapy or with surgery, and sometimes it does not respond to treatment, which means the patient will never walk again. So the hits keep on coming, and truthfully, it is a bit staggering at times.

“I sure do appreciate the prayers of everyone. It is good to know we are not in this alone. Hopefully the therapies will be effective and from this center she will be discharged home.”