Monday, November 1, 2010

Meet the participants: Cher Clarrington - survivor

In the countdown to the fashion show, we'll be meeting one of the participants each day. Today we meet: Cher Clarrington.

Cher has lung cancer which was discovered in January 2009. She says: ‘Three doctors said it was “nothing” but one super doctor pushed it and felt it was cancer and kept pushing until he got answers. They removed half of my left lung. My doctors say the prognosis is wonderful because thanks to that one doctor they caught it early.’

Cher joined SL soon after she was diagnosed after seeing a television news story. ‘I just wanted to see what all the talk in the media was about’ she says. ‘I use SL to relax and enjoy doing the things I can’t do in real life. I found the SL Cancer Survivors Group by searching for any information on cancer in SL. The support is wonderful. It’s so much better when you can talk to others who know exactly how you feel and are also going through or have gone through the same things. I enjoy the support group meetings because I would never feel well enough to go to meetings weekly in real life. The support is great. Meeting and talking with people that understand living with cancer, and after it. That’s a special bond. I also try to attend as many Relay For Life events in SL as I can depending how I feel from day to day.

‘I was very surprised to be chosen for Makeover Magic. But then I learned more about it and I’m grateful and happy. I can't thank the people on the team enough for all the hours and effort they put into this to help us participants. It also gives us time to enjoy SL, have fun and not think about the medical issues for a while.’

In real life Cher is married, in her early 50’s, and lives in the North-East USA. She no longer works due to her medical issues. What gets her out of bed? ‘My real life pets – I have cats, birds, and fish – so I have to get up and feed them! I also have an ailing mother with severe dementia, and though it’s trying cope with alongside my own issues, it forces me to move forward in life doing her errands and such.’

Thank you Cher for sharing your story.

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