‘Everyone has a story to tell. Stories of love, wisdom, survival, sometimes pain and hope. And every story is worth telling. But more than that, it’s worth living.’
It’s been seven years since Sharleigh Wilken took her son to a doctors appointment and discovered she had a blood disorder. On October 1, she celebrates the anniversary of the stem cell transplant that gave her the chance to continue doing what she loves most…making memories with her husband and children.
‘My son had bronchitis so I took him to the doctor, who noticed large bruises on my arm and leg and said I might be anaemic, suggesting I go for blood tests … tests that later revealed I had a blood disorder.
Wife to Riekert and mum to nineteen-year-old Reece and seventeen-year-old Kyle, Sharleigh was 33 when the tests showed she had Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, a form of blood cancer. She was admitted to an isolation ward in Westville Hospital and immediately started chemotherapy, along with blood and platelet transfusions. She was discharged four months later, weak and frail.
‘The relief of being home was indescribable. I’d missed my boys so much. I returned to a busy work schedule at Garlicke and Bousfield Inc. attorneys in the Conveyancing and Property Development Division as well as heading up the Marketing Department, as quickly as I could and continued life as normally as possible while still having oral chemotherapy. Everything seemed like a blur. I couldn’t taste anything, my head pounded viciously day and night, my vision was distorted and my body was not my own.’
Two years and two strokes later, Sharleigh was due to have her final bone marrow biopsy when she was told the cancer had spread to her spinal fluid and was putting pressure on her brain.
‘Again, we refocused as a family and set the target at completing 11 lumbar punctures and more chemo. Everything seemed to be going well until the port that was inserted accidentally punctured my lung. I lost air and couldn’t breathe. Then, there was silence.’
Sharleigh was put on a ventilator, rushed to ICU, and her family from all over the world were called to say goodbye.
‘I often get asked if I heard or felt anything or if I met Jesus. I wish I had! But I just lay there, cut off from the world, 11 pipes in my body as the doctors fought on my behalf and my warrior parents, family and very special friends united in prayer. That was when faith was stirred and hope rose and one morning, after almost four weeks, I woke up to the loudest, most memorable sound of glass smashing. I was alive and repeated the words in my mind… He saved me!’
Paralysed from the neck down and unable to speak, Sharleigh began a new journey … learning to talk, move, eat, walk and do simple things for herself again.
‘I was in isolation for 194 days and can understand those struggling with this during Covid. Going home was one of the best days of my life. I was with my family, I could feel the sunshine on my face and I recovered well as the search started for a bone marrow match.
With less than a one in 100 000 chance of finding a perfect match, Sharleigh needed a miracle. Fortunately her own stem cells began to recover and regenerate and doctors were able to harvest her own cells to give her life again through an autologous transplant.
But if she ever relapses, Sharleigh will need to find a donor and has not yet been successful. ‘There’s new hope now that the Sunflower Fund has been taken over by DKMS, who recruit blood stem cell donors and grow the patient assistance fund,’ she says.
‘After going through a trauma, you try so hard to go back to your old life as if nothing has changed, but trauma changes you and you are not that person anymore. People often ask what I thought about and did for so many months in hospital. Other than trying to forget about the nausea or dig for the strength just to have a normal conversation with someone other than a nurse, I thought about how quickly we can die and how in an instant life can change. During my journey I was never far from God. I held onto Psalm 91 and remembered the Sunday school song Jesus Loves Me. I knew that as long as He loved me I would be okay regardless of the outcome.’
Sharleigh also thought about how our choices affect our lives. ‘Being able to sit in the sun, feel the breeze on your face, taste different flavours and be surrounded by the voices of loved ones is often taken for granted, but it is those privileges that make you dig deep and fight when facing a life threatening disease.
‘See each other through eyes of love. Smell those roses, eat that food, dance wildly because you can, and love life because you were given it!
My wonderful husband and amazing boys were, and still are, incredible. It takes ‘for better or for worse but never for granted’ to the next level. I often felt guilty that they had to go through this, but am grateful that they have been taught unwavering faith, endless compassion and bravery which can never be stripped from them.’
Sharleigh is one of those incredible women who doesn’t know defeat. She’s since taken part in the Mzanzi challenge, Oxpecker Trail Stage Race, Comrades ‘Run the Legends’, the Unity Ultra Challenge, and most recently a Whale Trail Hike in Hermanus
‘I’m grateful that my legs support me, and would love to send a message of hope to anyone going through a hard time. Every one of us has a story, but I believe mine was a pure miracle and I hope others are encouraged by God’s faithfulness to me. Chin up! Not every day is good but there is something good in every day!’
A supporter and ambassador for the Pink Phoenix Foundation and DKMS Africa (formerly the Sunflower Fund), Sharleigh is passionate about raising advocating for Bone Marrow and Leukaemia Awareness Month which runs from August 15 to October 15.
If you would consider being a doner, the easiest way to sign up and receive a kit in the comfort and safety of your own home or office is to do so online at dkms-africa.org/be-a-donor and a courier will deliver and come back to collect the completed kit.
CREDITS
Photo: Penny Katz Photography, pennykatzphotography.myportfolio.com, 083 214 0692
Hair and make-up: Jacqui Trinder, Accentuate Hair and Makeup, 079 541 2551, www.professionalmakeupartist.co.za
Dress: Warren Robert Bridal & Evening Wear Boutique
Venue: Durban Botanic Gardens
