La Quinta family shares milestone in daughter’s cancer fight
Rick Sherman’s been doing a lot of heavy lifting lately, since his daughter, Riley Rose, 5, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in August. The tumor pressed so hard against Riley’s spinal cord, she hasn’t walked since surgery. So the saying “heavy lifting” is literal. Rick is often tasked with carrying Riley from room to room. Couch to lower bunk bed. Bed to floor.
But Riley came home from the hospital for the first time recently, and her parents say that is a blessing.
“You see her spunk, and her personality,” said her mother, Kristen Sherman. “She’s always smiling. She loves having her dad take care of her, she has fun.”
Rick Sherman is taking a leave from work at Hobby Lobby until January to care for Riley. Kristen Sherman is a fifth grade teacher at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Indio, and a longtime employee of Desert Sands Unified School District. She expects to take a leave in January for an additional surgery and stem cell transplant for Riley. The couple also has a son, Matthew, who’s almost 3.
“If you look at (Riley), if she had hair, you wouldn’t know she has a stage four disease wreaking havoc on her body,” said Kristen Sherman.
The Shermans are referring to Riley’s seemingly bountiful energy. She lost 14 pounds during the first two rounds of chemotherapy because she did not have an appetite, but now eats everything her family does. That included pretzels and Pirate’s Booty on the day we visited.
Riley also has a fine, almost white downy crown of hair. When she’s at home, it’s often adorned with a colorful bow or knitted cap.
More than 250 people donated hats and scarves for Riley, including more than 100 through Sacred Heart School in Palm Desert, where Riley attended preschool and would have started kindergarten in September. People donated so many hats in fact, that the Shermans gifted hundreds to Children’s Hospital Orange County, or CHOC, where Riley just started round three of chemotherapy.
“Look how many hats I have!” exclaimed Riley, as she poured out a designated hatbox onto her bed, already crowded with her favorite Disney Princesses.
“These are what she picked out from what everyone donated,” explained Kristen.
Among the hats, are hand-knitted caps shaped like cupcakes, and characters. Riley tried on a soft mustard colored one, and smiled. “Look! It’s golden like my old hair!”
Kristen has kept huge scrapbooks of her children since they were little.
“Every moment we saved it,” she sighed.
And every moment documented seems extra special now, knowing how much harder it would be to teach Riley how to do those things a second time.
At one point in the conversation, Riley interrupted to ask her father an important question.
“Daddy, can you lay me on the floor so I can crawl?”
Life is full of surprises, and Riley had one for her audience that day.
She pulled her knees closer to her chest and crawled to the sofa, then collapsed to the floor, pulled herself up again, and crawled to her parents, who were sitting on the other side of the room.
Kristen and Rick exchanged cries of joy, and exclamations.
“She’s never done that. Up on her knees like that!” said Kristen.
Riley erupted into peals of laughter. “You’re making me freak out!”
“How did you learn to do this?” asked Kristen.
“You’re amazing,” said Rick.
“It’s hard,” said Kristen later. “It’s the hardest thing we’ve ever done, but we’re continuing to see the blessings in it. The miracles. It’s been an outpouring of love. I wear my (gold) ribbon (for Childhood Cancer Awareness) and people come up to me and give me hugs. ‘What can we do? Can we give you a meal?’ Thank you. We’re so appreciative.”
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