On June 11th, 2023, Sheri Shaw-James, a 70 year old cancer survivor, had her wedding in North Carolina and invited her oncologists to walk her down the aisle.
In February, 2021, Shaw-James was diagnosed with stage 3 squamous cell carcinoma of the rectum, which is a common type of anal cancer. She was extremely surprised to be diagnosed with such a major cancer since she just recently had a colonoscopy with normal results. Shaw-James exclaimed, “it was shocking to get such a serious diagnosis” (The Washington Post, 2023).
At that time, Shaw-James had just met Bill James, aged 77. They connected online, quickly became close and soon after, they started dating. Following Shaw-James’ diagnosis, she decided to break up with James as she thought her condition would restrict his freedom and ability to enjoy life and do certain activities. Shaw-James thought, “I knew that he really wanted to travel, and I didn’t want him to be stuck dealing with my cancer,” she said. “I didn’t think that would be fair to him” (The Washington Post, 2023). James disagreed and declared that he wanted to stay with her and help her through it, regardless of how long it lasted.
Shaw-James, who was suffering from rectal bleeding, chose to receive treatment at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston after researching cancer facilities around the nation. She and James packed enough clothing for 2-3 months and headed to Houston, Texas. The following day after they arrived at The Ballard House, a cost-free family lodging unit for patients receiving lengthy medical procedures, Shaw-James had testing. It was revealed she had Stage 3 cancer and the hospital put together a treatment plan for her in less than 48 hours. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, James was unable to accompany Shaw-James to the clinic. Shaw-James had a bunch of different treatments everyday and would get extremely exhausted. James deeply admired her dedication and ability to never give up and that’s when he really fell in love with her.
During her times at the clinic, when she was receiving long treatments, she would share her fears and feelings with her two oncologists, Emma B. Holliday, and Van Karlyle Morris, who had both been working at the cancer center since around 2011-2012. Through the conversations they had, Shaw-James bonded with her oncologists very easily and her trust in them only continued to deepen quickly. When Shaw-James was experiencing uncomfortable side effects of her treatments, her oncologists were always there for her and would only offer her positive energy. After two long months, Shaw-James received her last radiation treatment. At her upcoming appointment, she was finally declared cancer-free and continued to have tests and check-ins every few months.
James ended up proposing to Shaw-James in January 2023, Shaw-James willingly accepted the proposal, knowing that he truly loved her through his acts of selflessness and kindness to her. He was with her every minute, always supporting her and helping her through the hardest situations. As they planned their wedding, Shaw-James knew one thing for sure, she wanted her oncologists to walk her down the aisle as they are the reason that she is here today.
Holliday and Morris were delighted by her invitation and gladly accepted. June 11, 2023, was the day that Shaw-James proudly walked down her wedding aisle with Morris on her right and Holliday on her left, ready to wed James.
In February, 2021, Shaw-James was diagnosed with stage 3 squamous cell carcinoma of the rectum, which is a common type of anal cancer. She was extremely surprised to be diagnosed with such a major cancer since she just recently had a colonoscopy with normal results. Shaw-James exclaimed, “it was shocking to get such a serious diagnosis” (The Washington Post, 2023).
At that time, Shaw-James had just met Bill James, aged 77. They connected online, quickly became close and soon after, they started dating. Following Shaw-James’ diagnosis, she decided to break up with James as she thought her condition would restrict his freedom and ability to enjoy life and do certain activities. Shaw-James thought, “I knew that he really wanted to travel, and I didn’t want him to be stuck dealing with my cancer,” she said. “I didn’t think that would be fair to him” (The Washington Post, 2023). James disagreed and declared that he wanted to stay with her and help her through it, regardless of how long it lasted.
Shaw-James, who was suffering from rectal bleeding, chose to receive treatment at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston after researching cancer facilities around the nation. She and James packed enough clothing for 2-3 months and headed to Houston, Texas. The following day after they arrived at The Ballard House, a cost-free family lodging unit for patients receiving lengthy medical procedures, Shaw-James had testing. It was revealed she had Stage 3 cancer and the hospital put together a treatment plan for her in less than 48 hours. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, James was unable to accompany Shaw-James to the clinic. Shaw-James had a bunch of different treatments everyday and would get extremely exhausted. James deeply admired her dedication and ability to never give up and that’s when he really fell in love with her.
During her times at the clinic, when she was receiving long treatments, she would share her fears and feelings with her two oncologists, Emma B. Holliday, and Van Karlyle Morris, who had both been working at the cancer center since around 2011-2012. Through the conversations they had, Shaw-James bonded with her oncologists very easily and her trust in them only continued to deepen quickly. When Shaw-James was experiencing uncomfortable side effects of her treatments, her oncologists were always there for her and would only offer her positive energy. After two long months, Shaw-James received her last radiation treatment. At her upcoming appointment, she was finally declared cancer-free and continued to have tests and check-ins every few months.
James ended up proposing to Shaw-James in January 2023, Shaw-James willingly accepted the proposal, knowing that he truly loved her through his acts of selflessness and kindness to her. He was with her every minute, always supporting her and helping her through the hardest situations. As they planned their wedding, Shaw-James knew one thing for sure, she wanted her oncologists to walk her down the aisle as they are the reason that she is here today.
Holliday and Morris were delighted by her invitation and gladly accepted. June 11, 2023, was the day that Shaw-James proudly walked down her wedding aisle with Morris on her right and Holliday on her left, ready to wed James.
