Wendi Cherry was the one person you could always count on when you really needed someone who cared. MSA took her life on December 28, 2016. She was 55 years old. An angel on earth, she wore her heart on her sleeve, always there to help and give love unconditionally. She made us laugh and now she makes us cry. She touched so many people and made each of us a little better.
Her light will always shine bright in our hearts. We will hear her laughter and soak in her beauty, the kind that shines from within, in her daughter, Jordan. The world was a better place with her in it. The lasting impact that she had on people and the world will be imprinted on us all forever.
Her family has chosen to share her story to raise awareness and support desperately needed research for Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), the worst possible kind of enemy - one that takes away everything slowly and deceitfully even before you know that it is taking your life.
As a wife, mother, chef, family therapist, and school counselor, Wendi led a very productive life. What she accomplished in one day took most people a week. Wendi always sent beautifully handwritten notes of thanks, birthday and anniversary greetings, and recipes to her family and friends. It was when she noticed her handwriting getting smaller that she knew something wasn't right. Wendi was always meticulous in her appearance and when she was not able to shampoo and style her own hair she pushed her doctors for answers. She was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson's disease at age 49. She was determined to continue to live a productive life.
Her symptoms progressed despite treatment, and Wendi and her family urged her doctors to look further. After many tests, changes in medications, second, third, and fourth opinions, Wendi was finally diagnosed with MSA at the age of 53. Wendi was determined to make the most of her time and chose to only share this news with her family as she did not want anyone to feel sorry for her.
She was determined not to let MSA impact the one thing that meant the most to her - her relationships. It was through her family and friends that she found her strength and her peace. Wendi was her own advocate and taught all of us, including her doctors how important the patient's voice is.
Wendi’s life was cut short at the age of 55 due to a disease called Multiple System Atrophy (MSA). Our family and most people had never heard of MSA at the time of Wendi’s diagnosis two years ago. Our family has chosen to share Wendi’s story in an effort to raise awareness and support desperately needed research. Please share Wendi’s story and spread the word about MSA, and donate to help us fight this enemy. MSA patients and their families can help this battle by participating in TGen's patient registry at this link. 100% of the profits from this cookbook will be donated to the TGEN foundation for MSA research.
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