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In only a matter of weeks, Sherri W.¡¯s world changed drastically. She had started to experience seizures and was in the process of seeing specialists to determine the cause.

While waiting for her next appointment, Sherri, 60, kept herself busy and remained focused on business as usual ¡ª planning and running a national conference in New Orleans in her role as senior director for a nonprofit family and education organization.

One week, she was meeting with clients at the conference. The very next Monday, she returned to her home in Chicago for a series of brain scans. She learned that she had a terminal form of brain cancer, and that she would require surgery ¡ª quickly ¡ª on a fast-growing brain tumor before any additional treatments could begin.

Only a few days later, Sherri had surgery to remove the tumor. Her neurosurgeon hoped that, based on the tumor¡¯s location, Sherri¡¯s movement and speech would not be affected.

However, when she woke up, Sherri was unable to move the left side of her body, and she could barely speak or organize her thoughts to communicate.

Given the speed at which Sherri had learned about having cancer and undergone surgery, she still was processing the overwhelming gravity of her diagnosis. Yet, she had to juggle many priorities at once: reimagining her quality of life with cancer; building strength for the cancer treatments ahead; and recovering her mobility, speech and independence after surgery.

With all that in mind, she transitioned to Shirley Ryan ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ÊÓƵ for intensive inpatient rehabilitation, under the care of physiatrists and therapists with expertise in treating patients with cancer.

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When Sherri arrived at Shirley Ryan ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ÊÓƵ, she admits she was at a low point.

Following the surgery, Sherri could no longer do regular tasks that she used to take for granted. Sherri is fiercely independent, and she found she had a difficult time asking for help, which was compounded by the speech and communication impairments she experienced after surgery.

Also, because Sherri could not use her left side when she first arrived for rehabilitation, her physical therapist initially had to move her legs for her. She thought to herself, ¡°I will never get better.¡±

¡°That first night was the worst night,¡± said Sherri. ¡°I was so unhappy, and I asked myself what was the point of going through rehabilitation ¡ª and then cancer treatment ¡ª because I would never be the same again.¡±

However, on Sherri¡¯s first full day of physical therapy, things started changing for the better. She started reaching for small milestones like rolling over in bed or repositioning herself with assistance. In the following days and weeks, she quickly achieved bigger mobility goals, such as building strength and dexterity on her left side, regaining her core strength and improving her balance.

Sherri also focused on building life skills that would allow her to return to living independently at home. For example, as she recovered her ability to walk, she practiced climbing stairs ¡ª a skill she would need at home to navigate two different sets of staircases.

Also, in occupational therapy, Sherri was able to start showering on her own once again, and she learned short cuts and strategies to dress herself while her left side was impaired.

¡°In the mornings, I would surprise my patient care technicians by getting dressed before they came into my room,¡± she said. ¡°Getting dressed on my own gave me such a sense of freedom and independence.

As a natural communicator, Sherri thoroughly enjoyed speech-language therapy. She played word and board games with her speech therapist, which helped her rebuild her vocabulary; practice sounds and words; and restore her social and problem-solving skills.

¡°I have a lot of experience with public speaking and giving keynote addresses but, after my surgery, I experienced challenges with speech and processing my thoughts. The words were floating in my head, but articulating them was a huge challenge,¡± said Sherri. ¡°My progress in speech therapy helped me feel so much better while also helping me with my cognitive function.¡±

As therapy continued, Sherri became stronger and stronger. One of her earliest milestones was walking 30 feet with assistance. By the time she was discharged, she was able to walk 875 feet during a 6-minute walk test, and she could go up and down the stairs again ¡ª clear signs she was improving.

During her time at Shirley Ryan ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ÊÓƵ, Sherri took advantage of the hospital¡¯s psychology services. She made a strong connection with her psychologist and created a ¡°trophy wall¡± journal to monitor her progress in therapy. This visualization enabled Sherri to track her accomplishments and ¡ª importantly ¡ª move toward self-acceptance amid cancer.

¡°During my time at Shirley Ryan ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ÊÓƵ, my care team communicated with each other to help me build toward my overall goals,¡± said Sherri. ¡°The way they supported me was the most powerful part for me.¡±

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Despite all of Sherri¡¯s incredible gains ¡ª both physically and emotionally ¡ª there were moments when she felt very depressed. She was devastated to know there were activities she wouldn¡¯t be able to resume due to having cancer.

For example, prior to her diagnosis, Sherri participated in cross-country road trips by convertible ¡ª driving by herself with the wind blowing through her hair as she explored different cities and parts of the country. Now, she would not be able to drive again.

However, she met with staff from Shirley Ryan ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ÊÓƵ¡¯s recreational therapy team that utilizes recreation and leisure-based interventions to improve patient's physical, cognitive and social functioning; increase independence and reduce or eliminate the effects of illness or an impairment. This includes adapting prior leisure interests or, for Sherri, discovering new ones.

Through recreational therapy, Sherri discovered a new passion: adaptive cycling.

¡°They put me on an adaptive bike in the hospital and, when I started riding, it felt like driving my car with the top down again. That¡¯s when the switch flipped for me,¡± said Sherri. ¡°I realized my life was not hopeless, just different, and I could have as much fun as before.¡±

Adaptive cycling completely transformed Sherri¡¯s thinking about living with brain cancer and the challenges that lay ahead. She said she suddenly felt so much more positive.

Following those initial rides in the hospital, Sherri started riding in the fresh air with her recreational therapist at an outdoor track near the hospital. She hopes to join Shirley Ryan ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ÊÓƵ¡¯s adaptive cycling group to ride in the winter and spring months, which will provide cardiovascular and strength benefits while keeping Sherri connected to the Shirley Ryan ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ÊÓƵ community.

¡°I¡¯m so impressed with the hospital¡¯s ability to find the thing that¡¯s really going to move you,¡± she continued.

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After 3 1/2 weeks in inpatient care at Shirley Ryan ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ÊÓƵ, Sherri returned home. She has started undergoing chemotherapy and radiation and has the support of her family and friends nearby.

After cancer treatment, Sherri plans to return to Shirley Ryan ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ÊÓƵ¡¯s DayRehab program for cancer rehabilitation, which focuses on addressing neurological, musculoskeletal and other impairments stemming from cancer and its treatments.

Overall, Sherri¡¯s positive experience in rehabilitation has changed her outlook on facing cancer. She is looking for ways to give back and advocate for those who, like her, have experienced mobility issues and brain cancer.

Sherri recognizes that her cancer is not curable, but her focus remains on embracing ¡ª and enjoying ¡ª a strong quality of life.

¡°Honestly, I wasn't sure I wanted to pursue cancer treatment before I got to Shirley Ryan ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ÊÓƵ. I felt hopeless and didn't imagine how I could move forward from that point,¡± said Sherri. ¡°Shirley Ryan ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ÊÓƵ changed everything, and I'm feeling so much better about my future now.¡±

¡°And, I¡¯m also really looking forward to riding bikes in the spring!¡± she said.