Short Biography Completely and Utterly written by Sherree herself

After the Persian Gulf war was over, I got out of the Army. I felt great, I was on top of the world, I was looking forward to starting my life a new. I was looking forward to starting my life anew. I was looking forward to beginning a new career in the health care field. With all of the knowledge I had gained through my military medical training. I was ready to start helping people. Life was moving along, a couple of years had passed when I first noticed some soreness in my joints. Then I began noticing my skin was getting tight and rough in different areas on my legs and hands. I went to several doctors before I found one that finally knew what I had. It seemed like, as soon as he said “Scleroderma” the disease began to progress faster and faster, crippling my fingers, arthritis has set in on most of all of my joints. I wasn’t able to do anything without getting winded right away, and the list goes on and on.

I’m one of twelve children. I’m also a twin, im the second twin by eight minutes, and she has never let me forget that I am younger and she is the oldest.

I’m also an artist and athlete. I graduated from High School with the largest scholarship award in my class. I attended Old Dominion University, but I didn’t complete my studies. I fell in love with a great guy. Navy fella. We married, had three children. Brought a house. We lost out youngest child, Miguel. He was the main reason I became a Medic in the Army. He passed away because of choking on food, and I felt like if I had known more about CPR or Heimlich maneuver I may have saved him. I know now and much more about saving lives. Me my husband and children moved to Italy in 1987. Being a navy wife was fun. We returned to the US after two years. We moved back into our home, but things with me and my husband were not good. We separated fourteen years ago. After the separation is when I decided to go into the Army. I signed up and was shipped off to basic training in 1988. After basic training I was sent to Texas for my medical training to become a combat medic, from there I was sent to Germany, while stationed in Germany my unit was called to go to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Shield, we were there three months before the war started and the Operation was called Operation Desert Storm. I was a combat medic and I honestly believe I contracted scleroderma from being exposed to chemicals that were used during the war. The military will not admit that is where my disease came from. Only because when I got out I was given a clean bill of health.

By the way, anyone can contract scleroderma. Scleroderma usually hits women between ages 25-40, THE PRIME OF THEIR LIVES!!! But there have been known cases of babies and men having it.

No one knows what actually causes scleroderma. They don’t know how to cure it. We do know it is not cancerous, not contagious and not hereditary.