A Letter of Thanks

Remember my post back in April, about The Cherylann of the Hotel Jeffrey Benefit? Well Cherylann posted this comment to me October 14th and I decided to post it.

Sheila & Friends,What a pleasure running across your site!Thank-you sooo much for being a part of the benefit run that my friends put on in April. What an amazing day filled with soooo many familiar faces and...some new ones. Guests who have frequented our saloon & grill and stayed in our hotel since we bought it in 2003, all coming out in force to let us know that they care and that they are here to help us through this difficult time!The day was beautiful and the turn-out was beyond belief! I had just gotten out of the hospital and didn't have much energy, so I wasn't able to make it around to see every person individually, but many of the people there came over and gave me hugs. It turns out that while I was in the park with what I thought was everyone...our saloon and hotel were equally as full of people that were there for me as well!I was very touched by the whole event, which of course, was kept a secret from me until the last minute. I still cry when I think about how everyone came together for us, it means sooo much and of course, as we all know, insurance doesn't cover everything, so the donations were greatly appreciated as well.This has been quite a journey, I was diagnosed in January with a rare Cancer, Tonsil Cancer that was moving into the Base of the Tongue, and 10 months later I am still going through so many ups & downs/good days & bad days, that I am never sure if I am coming or going. Most of the ups & downs are what I call "Radiation Fall-out", they are simply the long term effects of the treatments, on my system! They are the things that I have to get used to living with now, and I'm a survivor so I will!Because the Cancer was fast growing, it was a very aggressive treatment program that I went through, and I was fortunate enough to have been referred to a specialist in this particular Cancer, Dr. Luu at the Stanford Emmanuel Oncology Center in Turlock. An amazing place with wonderful people who really care! They treat each patient as though they are a dear family member, whom they would not want to lose.I hope that you don't mind if I share with you a few things that I have learned through this experience: Cards, pictures, e-mails, prayers and good thoughts, do make a huge difference in the day of a person battling any illness!18 hours of work a day is NOT healthy!Rest is crucial to healing!Listen to your body!Family & friends are most important, spend as much time as you can with them!Work will always be there!It's OK to delegate!And...of course, smiling is healthy and it is very important to keep a good sense of humor through it all! I still can't eat enough to stay alive so I spend many hours connected to a feeding machine whom I lovingly refer to as R2D2. I don't have enough energy yet to be there very often, plus my system is still so compromised that I have to be very careful not to catch anything, so I book all of the rooms and respond to e-mails from home, and of course would love to hear from you. If you come by the hotel or saloon to say hi, and you don't see me...please leave a note for me, it's almost as good as a hug!Again, Sheila & Friends...Thank-You!Sincerely,CherylannCherylann@HotelJefferyGold.comThe Historic Hotel Jeffery