Sheri Getz gets it — the pain, heartache, and uncertainty that accompanies childhood critical illness as well as the importance of small gestures that can bring a sense of normalcy, connection, and comfort during the most challenging times.

In 2011, her 16-year-old daughter, Sarah, passed away after enduring cancer for five years. Today, as an Icing Smiles Sugar Angel, Sheri bakes cakes and cookies for families coping with childhood chronic illness. 

“I understand where they are,” says Sheri, who when she’s not working as a new business construction consultant for Nicor Gas is running the bakery 2nd Shift Delights in Sycamore, Illinois. “It’s not a lot, but to get something in the mail, to know people are thinking about you in the hardest times in your life — it’s something small, but for me it’s something big.”

Sarah’s Cancer Battle

Sarah started complaining about knee and leg pain in 2004. For months, doctors dismissed it as growing pains. Then, in 2005, her leg began to swell and feel hot. 

“Sarah and I went into the hospital that night, and we didn’t come home for six weeks,” Sheri recalls. 

Sarah was diagnosed with cancer. She was only 10 years old. 

Her journey was arduous, with multiple rounds of chemotherapy and various procedures to combat the cancer. Eventually, they faced the heartbreaking choice of amputating Sarah’s limb above the knee to fight the aggressive cancer.

“This allowed her to actually be a kid,” says  Sheri, who describes Sarah as “an old soul in a young woman’s body.”

“Sarah smiled all the time,” she continued. “She was a happy kid. She was very active in sports and Girl Scouts. She had a plethora of friends. She loved her rock concerts and her purple and green fingernails.”

Throughout the challenging years, Sarah’s indomitable spirit allowed her to participate in activities she loved. Sarah learned how to sit skit. She spent a week at a dude ranch in Arizona. “She had cancer, but cancer did not have her,” Sheri says. 

Despite their valiant efforts, Sarah’s cancer relapsed, leading to further treatments and eventually hospice care. In September 2011, Sarah passed away at the age of 16, leaving behind a profound impact on Sheri and her family. 

The experience of witnessing her daughter’s struggle and feeling the weight of caring for a critically ill child forged a deep understanding within Sheri — a desire to provide support to families facing similar challenges.

Sheri’s Mission to Support Others

It was during her own healing journey that Sheri discovered Icing Smiles and immediately recognized the power of a cake. “I saw it as an opportunity to pay it forward for the things people did for us,” she says. 

With her baking skills honed over the years and fueled by her belief in the importance of bringing moments of happiness to families in distress, Sheri became an essential part of Icing Smiles’ network of Sugar Angels. 

In her role as a Sugar Angel, Sheri goes above and beyond, ensuring that no family is overlooked. She willingly travels long distances to deliver cakes personally, refusing to let logistics hinder her mission of bringing smiles to deserving families. Her dedication stems from her deep empathy and understanding of the profound impact such acts of kindness can have during times of crisis and uncertainty.

“In the beginning, everybody is there for you,” Sheri says. “But as time goes on, people forget about what you’re going through. Life just goes on. For people who are going through this, our life doesn’t go on. It goes on, but it goes on so, so differently. So finding little moments where you can be just like everybody else or you have that special moment where you get those cookies — it’s a reminder that, hey, someone is thinking of us.”

Become a Sugar Angel

Sheri’s journey as a parent of a child with a critical illness has been marked by heartache and resilience. She has transformed her pain into a catalyst for making a positive impact in the lives of others. Through her involvement with Icing Smiles, Sheri continues to honor Sarah’s memory and channel her love for her daughter into spreading joy, hope, and support to families in need. 

Her unwavering commitment to giving back and her ability to empathize with others’ struggles make Sheri an extraordinary Sugar Angel, an inspiration to all and a shining example of the power of compassion and resilience.

Do you want to bake a difference? All it requires is a love of baking and a passion for our kids.

In the few months after Shannon first discovered the spot, it had grown to almost the size of a half-dollar. The surgeon called with the pathology results the following week, he said it was melanoma. Shannon was 13 at the time. After the spot was completely removed it was diagnosed as Nodular Melanoma, Stage 3c. It is the most aggressive type and rare in girls her age.

Shannon had 6 surgeries which included removing 63 lymph nodes in her neck, the salivary gland from her left cheek, and scalp reconstruction. She had a difficult year of treatment but handled it all amazingly well. Shannon had been cancer-free for just over two years when she found a lump on her side under her skin. She had yet another surgery to remove it. The pathology results confirmed the melanoma had returned. She was now Stage 4, as it had metastasized.

With the recurrence, Shannon began traveling to St. Jude. She had scans and other tests that discovered she had more internal tumors. She began another year of treatment. Along the way, she had brain and abdominal surgery to remove the few tumors which weren’t responding to her treatments. She had one more surgery to remove a spot on the back of her thigh. Her thyroid stopped functioning due to the treatments, so now she will be on thyroid medication forever.

Shannon is now 18 years old and a five year cancer survivor! She celebrated two years of her status being NED (No Evidence of Disease) on April 3, during her senior year of high school. Amidst a pandemic, it was something amazing to celebrate!

This gorgeous dancing butterfly graduation cake was created by Dawn from Cake Me Away for Shannon’s High School Graduation. The ceremony was postponed twice due to COVID-19, but on July 25th, 2020, she finally got to celebrate! Even if the ceremony ended up getting canceled, Shannon knew she still had an awesome cake to look forward to that day. After so many canceled events during her senior year, this cake is truly a celebration of her achievements, courage, and resilience.

With smiles + cake,

Olivia Graupmann

The Blog Team 

www.icingsmiles.org