Cherie Schofield
Momma and Me is a true story of a mother and a daughter who simultaneously suffer cancer - one ovarian, one breast. The memoir highlights the experiences of mother and daughter during a six year period, 1991-1997. Virtually all women and those who love them have been, are being, or will be touched by similar, real-life experiences. It is the author's hope this story will reach out to those people and help to guide them through the maze.
Cherie Schofield has lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, most of her life, having moved there at the age of seven with her family. She received two bachelor's degrees (Sociology and Elementary Education) from Louisiana State University and taught briefly before becoming a probation officer for Baton Rouge City Court. The bulk of her adult life, however, has been spent as a stay-at-home mom and community volunteer. Her goals at the age of 59 are to laugh and to love and to spread both as much as possible.
If you are interested in having the author speak to your cancer support group or other cancer-related organization, please contact her by e-mail at
mommaandme@gmail.com or at www.authorhouse.com.
My mother and I visited a local boutique which specializes in garments and accessories for women undergoing physical changes like those I was about to experience. Little did I know this visit was a very important and positive stop in the journey upon which I was embarking.
Boutiques of this nature and scope were then a rarity, except perhaps in the larger cities around the country. How fortunate for me that it was in my town! The name, Total Woman, is something of a mission statement, that being to meet the needs of women in my situation—women soon to lose those outward elements which distinguish them as total women.
The décor of the boutique was strictly feminine, the merchandise designed specifi cally for women in need of physical assistance to look “womanly.” Each and every woman on staff seemed dedicated to easing the trials and tribulations of what was to come. Everyone smiled broadly, touched eagerly, guided enthusiastically, and in general gave new meaning to the words “team support.”
The wig I would need for the expected hair loss was first on my agenda, and I must say it was actually enjoyable to try on all the different styles and colors and decide whether I wanted just to be me or to play at being someone new. I decided to do both and ended up with two completely diff erent styles and colors (eventually even adding a third from the local Cancer Society stockroom). I also chose large, brightly colored jewelry and satiny, lace sleep caps to add to my new dimension of womanhood. I was having fun for the first time in a while, but—as I discovered with the passage of time—it would definitely not be the last of my good times with cancer, as strange as that may sound.
