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Sheffield 14-year-old shows tremendous strength in fighting an aggressive cancer

“Like a small boat on the ocean …”

Rachel Platten’s song lyrics, in increasing passion, played on the radio of the car as Abbey and Jodie Schmader drove from the doctor in Kane to their home in Sheffield on July 20 with devastating news.

Abbey, 14, had been diagnosed with cancer.

“I didn’t know what it was,” Abbey shared. “I was scared that I was going to die.”

Within days of her diagnosis, the family learned a lot about Abbey’s Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma – described as rare and aggressive. She quickly began chemotherapy treatments at Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital. Besides the mass in her abdomen, doctors discovered more cancer on her liver, lungs, bones, spine and scapula.

That single word, “cancer,” has opened hundreds of hearts around the county.

Dozens of fund-raisers and events have been held and are still being planned in Abbey’s honor, and her friends and classmates at Sheffield Area Middle-Senior High School quickly put together a float for the Aug. 23 Sheffield Fireman’s Festival Parade. The float stopped in front of Sheffield Fire Hall where Abbey and her family stood and released dozens of white, yellow and purple balloons … while Rachel Platten’s song played loudly.

“This is my fight song

Take back my life song

Prove I’m alright song

My power’s turned on …”

“It was pretty emotional,” said Abbey’s father, Dale “Buddy” Schmader.

Abbey’s symptoms began last fall when she was experiencing stomach cramps that her mother, Jodie, assumed were not abnormal. Abbey also complained about pain on her spine and scapula, where cancer was later found.

Eventually, Abbey started missing school because of the pain and was too uncomfortable to sleep at night because of acid reflux. They discovered later that the cancer was pushing on her stomach which was pushing on her spleen.

“We don’t know how long it was growing,” Jodie said. The first CT scan was on June 29 this year, and the mass was biopsied on July 13. A short week later, the family got the worst news.

“I was just like, a brick just hit me in the head,” Jodie said.

Abbey’s chemotherapy – seven different kinds of aggressive poisons to kill the cancer – began in earnest and will continue for a full year.

The staff at Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital has been “amazing,” Buddy said, and luckily the couple has family in Pittsburgh with whom they can stay during the long treatments.

Abbey’s chemo can last anywhere from one day to five days. This week it’s five days. Jodie traveled to Pittsburgh with her Thursday, and Buddy will take Mom’s place after he is finished with work on Sunday.

Abbey lost her hair soon after chemo began, and several of her friends shaved their heads in loving support.

Although Abbey is handling the chemo well, generally, she has lost her appetite and is tired and weak, which makes it difficult for her to keep up with her at-home cyber schooling for this freshman year of high school.

Abbey has lost about 40 pounds, Jodie said.

“It hurts when she eats,” Jodie explained, so they are considering a feeding tube.

The family is overwhelmingly grateful for all the love and support the community has shown.

Buddy said about 20 guys showed up to cut up their firewood for the winter, a tri-axle load of poles.

“They cut and split and stacked it,” Buddy said, shaking his head in disbelief, “guys from the community and my co-workers from United.”

This and the many fund-raisers and events planned for the family are “tough to deal with,” Buddy explained. “It’s crazy overwhelming. Never in our wildest dreams would we have expected so many people would step up and do anything, anything in the world for you, it’s unbelievable.”

Jodie agreed, saying she and Buddy helped build a Habitat for Humanity House, and “it made us feel so good, so we know,” but all the love and support has still been amazing.

“With a small community, that’s what you get,” Jodie said.

“You hear so much bad news, you almost lose faith in humanity,” Buddy said, “but this has restored that faith.”

The students who have stepped up have really impressed Buddy. “The things the kids have done,” he said, “They sold lemonade at the car show and raised $100! Abbey’s buddies had a bake sale at Kondak’s” in Clarendon and raised almost $300.”

People call and stop them in the street to tell the family they are thinking of them and praying for them, offering help.

They “drive by and yell, ‘We love ya Abbey!’,” Jodie said, smiling.

Their families – Buddy’s sisters, Lori Maines and Lisa Benson – and Jodie’s family, Patrick Davidson, Roger Davidson, Jill Sheldon and Cheryl Bonavita – and their families have been incredibly supportive as have Jodie’s father, Ray Davidson of Sheffield, and Buddy’s parents, Patricia and Denny Joy of Warren. Abbey’s cousin, Nick Bonavita, a senior starter on the Juniata College Football Team, dedicated a football game to Abbey, the gold game; gold is the color of Abbey’s childhood cancer.

At a blood drive held for Abbey’s cause on Aug. 27, they had to turn people away. Normally, there are 40 or so units of blood collected at a blood drive. In Abbey’s honor, there were nearly 100 units of blood collected that day.

“It does help, all the support,” Jodie said, and “the prayers definitely help.”

“I wish I had a word … grateful … overwhelming … doesn’t touch it,” Buddy added.

Luckily, both Buddy and Jodie have insurance through their employment, and they were able to get Medicaid for Abbey, but there are still a lot of bills for co-pays and traveling.

The family – including Abbey’s sister, Allison, 12 – is taking the day-to-day challenges in stride.

Jodie has to give Abbey a shot of Neupogen each evening to keep her white count up.

Before her illness, Abbey enjoyed riding the family horses, and she played volleyball for Sheffield. Now, she likes to watch George Lopez on TV; it makes her laugh, she said.

Her heart is generous, despite the illness. She has already donated blood and bone marrow for research.

“Hopefully it’ll help someone else out in the future,” Buddy explained.

In the meantime, through these long months of Pittsburgh trips and chemotherapy, Abbey keeps Rachel Platten’s lyrics playing in her head:

“Cause I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me

No I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me.”

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