December 17, 2010
Clare Scheller
Mater Dei grad’s journey is filled with courage, faith and grace
Clare Scheller is surrounded by her brother, Leo, and her sisters, Theresa and Maria, in their home on Evansville’s west side. Click for a larger version.
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
The short trip from June to December has been a journey of courage and faith for the Scheller family — and one filled with grace.
Bob is the father and Mary is the mother of the four Scheller children, Clare, Theresa, Leo and Maria, who live on Evansville’s west side.
In May, they were busy coordinating their children’s schedules and celebrating Clare’s graduation from Mater Dei High School.
Everything changed in mid-June when Clare’s pediatrician diagnosed her with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, commonly known as ALL. He suggested they take Clare immediately to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis for chemotherapy treatments. Once they were there, Mary began writing daily posts on a CaringBridge Web site.
She wrote about Clare’s medical condition, and she shared their faith. “Clare has told me several times since last Friday, this is all part of God’s plan and we need to turn to him to help us through this . . .”
On July 16, Mary wrote that her daughter was experiencing leg cramping and pain and also temporary neuropathy; she could not put any weight on her left leg. The next day, Clare was taken back to Indianapolis by helicopter, and treatment began on a life-threatening infection that was rapidly spreading throughout her bloodstream.
The infection sent her into septic shock, causing many of her organs to fail, and requiring multiple antibiotics, IV meds, a ventilator and 24-hour kidney dialysis.
Days of waiting and hoping and praying followed. Late on the afternoon of July 23, Mary wrote, “Clare is in surgery now. As you are aware, the doctors have been very concerned about Clare’s left leg. They had told us days ago that the infection in her blood had involved that leg and severely damaged the muscles there . . . . So to prevent future infections, they decided to have part of her left leg removed . . . . To avoid risk of bleeding, they amputated her left leg just below the knee at the joint.”
She added, “I know this is terrible news to read. We knew from the beginning that she may not be able to save her whole leg . . . It was so swollen and black and blue and the circulation there was obviously not functioning. And it is important to us that all of Clare’s organs and blood are functioning the way they are supposed to . . . So if the leg was preventing that, then there was no other solution.”
Days later, Mary wrote of the long recovery awaiting Clare — “weeks or maybe months.” She added, “The progress each day has been small . . . . But with each ‘good day’ we get closer to Clare’s eventual recovery. While we wait, we ask God for strength, healing and the grace to accept all that has happened to Clare and our family, and the road that lies ahead. He is always with us, like the Good Shepherd, keeping us safe with a love for all of us that defies all understanding.”
When Mary and Bob felt it was time to talk with Clare about the amputation, the family gathered in her hospital room. “I asked her if she wanted to know what had happened to her leg,” Mary writes, “and she nodded. Fighting back tears, I explained to her what had happened.” The family prayed the “Our Father” together, and then Mary asked Clare if she remembered the Good Shepherd. “I told her that he was walking with her, too, along with all her friends and family who would help her through this.”
Clare has been told that it is a miracle that she overcame the sepsis. One nurse said that fewer than 10 percent of patients on a breathing tube and that type of dialysis survive.
A few days before Thanksgiving, after nearly four months in Indianapolis, Clare was released from Riley Hospital. She continues to receive weekly treatments in Indianapolis.
The mother and daughter recently talked about what has sustained them throughout their journey. Clare, in a clear, soft voice, said, “The Memorare. We prayed it every night before we went to bed.”
Mary added, “The Lord is my Shepherd. That first night in the ICU the chaplain read it. I prayed the rosary every night when she was in the ICU. I would think about Clare and all the other patients, and I would think about the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary. I would think of all the sorrow in those walls. Everyone there is very, very sick.”
Some days were harder than others. “You didn’t feel strong every day,” Mary said. “Sometimes you felt like you were going to fall apart.” Those were the times she would read posts from family and friends on the Caring Bridge Web site and “felt like you were being lifted up by prayers.”
“One day I was so afraid and so worried for Clare, and her condition was so scary. I read the posts of people praying for us. You could just feel it — that I wasn’t there by myself.”
Mary remembers a day when she was walking alongside her daughter as she was being taken for surgery. “Her eyes were scared, and I made the Sign of the Cross on her head. She made the Sign of the Cross herself. To see her do that, that was huge for me. That gave me some peace.”
She remembers sitting in a waiting room another day “all by myself. I was so emotional. I got on CaringBridge, and asked people to pray with me. People started responding, ‘We are here with you.’ I felt like everyone in Evansville was sitting in that waiting room with me.”
Both mother and daughter are looking forward to spending Christmas at home this year. “I appreciate it so much more,” Clare said. “I’m glad I’m not in the hospital. I’m glad I’m here to celebrate it because there’s a chance I wouldn’t have been here.”
Mary adds, “We knew our lives were changed when we found out she had cancer.” During their first drive up to Indianapolis for treatment back in June, she told her daughter “this is a little detour, a little bump — but we will get through it.”
The journey continues.
Now the goal is for Clare to learn to take steps again using a prosthetic leg. Not being able to walk is hard, she says, explaining that she was always someone who liked to do things for herself. “Being in a wheelchair — it makes me determined to walk again.”
When Clare graduated from high school in May, she planned to go to Indiana University and study nursing. Now her plans are on hold, and her direction has changed a bit. She’s thinking about exploring the field of psychology. “I want to talk to kids who have gone through similar things.”
The Scheller family is grateful to be together and for the overwhelming support it received from so many people, including prayers, prayer services and fundraisers too numerous to mention. “People have shown our family a lot of love and support,” Mary said, mentioning covered dishes, house cleaning, gas cards, restaurant gift cards and all the help adding on a new bedroom and bathroom in their home for Clare.
She is also grateful for the “excellent doctors, great nursing care and therapy sessions” and “obviously” thankful to God “for Clare’s improved health and the fact that she is still with us.”
Clare echoed her mother, saying she is also thankful for the widespread community support. “I could feel their support. It made me feel better to know how much people care.”
Today, Mary says, “It’s a miracle to me — how sick she was — to see her sitting up and talking.
“It’s going to take a little more time to get back. I definitely think all the prayers helped her get better and helped us cope.”