Scherre L’Estrange has been fighting all her life, facing each round with strength, endurance and the power of a strong family bond — but she’s no boxer.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
The Shepparton mother-of-three has taken hit after hit of medical intrusions, one after the other.
And just when she thought she could rest, Scherre is now preparing for the most significant battle of her life.
In a few short weeks, Scherre will undergo cytoreductive surgery, a harrowing 10- to 12-hour operation that will remove 20 per cent of her bowel, her entire colon, her spleen and part of her stomach, and involve a full hysterectomy.
The procedure will also involve hot chemo, a direct application of chemotherapy during the surgery itself, to ensure that any remaining cancerous cells are removed.
For Scherre and her family, the financial burden of this operation and the subsequent recovery period is immense.
Rebecca McCrindle, a close friend of 25 years who felt powerless amid Scherre’s ongoing struggles, started a GoFundMe campaign to support the family during this trying time.
“We’ve been friends for 25 years, and I’ve seen these guys go through some tough runs,” Rebecca said.
“Half of what they’ve been through isn’t even listed in that GoFundMe description ... I don’t think we could fit it all in, to be honest.
“I just thought this last blow was completely unfair, and you just feel really helpless for them.
“So, I thought anything to help would be good.”
Scherre’s journey to this point has been marked by a series of health crises that would have overwhelmed most people.
In 2020, while the world grappled with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Scherre faced a more personal catastrophe — a massive heart attack that struck her at home.
With her husband, Adam, and daughter Jess at her side, the family experienced a harrowing moment that tested their strength to the core. Jess, only 15 at the time, performed CPR on her mother until paramedics arrived, an act that undoubtedly saved Scherre’s life.
“I dropped in the bathroom,” Scherre said.
“My boy was starting the car because they knew I was in trouble, and by the time they got to me, I had collapsed and wasn’t breathing.
“Adam put me on the bed, he was trying to ring the ambulance, and Jess started CPR on me.
“She wanted to keep going, Adam wanted to jump in, but she said, ‘No, I’ve got the rhythm.’”
After five weeks in hospital and time spent in an acquired brain injury unit, Scherre returned home, but her health challenges were far from over.
Over the next 18 months, she underwent further tests and had two more stents placed in her heart.
One of those stents nearly cost her life.
Despite these setbacks, Scherre showed incredible resilience and refused to let her spirit be crushed.
Her ever-evolving bucket list can attest to this.
One of her dreams was fulfilled after she survived her initial heart attack: a trip to Disneyland in the United States with her family.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime trip,” Scherre said.
“I had a total knee replacement, and I was up and down the ladder within two weeks just to get there.”
This trip, a bright spot amid the darkness of her medical struggles, was made possible by the love and support of Adam, who has been her rock throughout their 23 years of marriage.
The next item on Scherre’s bucket list was inspired by a vivid dream she experienced while in a coma after her heart attack.
“My whole family are going to go canoeing on a Canadian lake,” she said.
“I want that to happen.”
But Scherre’s dreams are not just about grand adventures; they also reflect her deep love for her family and friends.
“My garden is my peace. My family. My friends. My animals. I have joy every day. I’m blessed every day,” she said.
This mindset has helped her face each new challenge with unwavering courage, including her next and biggest challenge yet.
As 2023 dawned, Scherre’s health began to decline again.
In January, she underwent double bypass surgery – a daunting procedure for anyone but particularly challenging for Scherre due to her ongoing battle with arthritis, a condition she’s had since she was 15.
Only six weeks after the bypass surgery, Scherre began experiencing severe abdominal pain.
This led to an unexpected diagnosis of acute appendicitis, which required immediate surgery.
During the operation, doctors discovered a tumour in her appendix, one that, while not classified as cancer, behaved similarly.
The tumour, a one-in-a-million type, had already started affecting other organs.
“It was heartbreaking, I wasn’t expecting it,” Scherre said.
“At the time, I had appointments at Peter Mac.
“They were going to have it at level one, but then pathology ordered that it was a level two and that I would need a lot of my organs and my abdominal bits removed.”
Now, with the major surgery looming, the financial stress on Scherre’s family has become a significant concern.
Adam, who has already taken significant time off work to care for Scherre, will need to be by her side in Melbourne for the duration of her hospital stay and during the crucial recovery period.
“It’s a big thing to put your personal life out there,” Rebecca said, acknowledging the difficulty in asking for help.
“But I knew there’d be a lot of other people that would want to help.”
The GoFundMe campaign Rebecca set up has provided immense relief for Scherre and her family and much-needed support as they prepare for the challenges ahead.
The outpouring of support from friends, family and even strangers has been humbling for Scherre, who has always faced her battles privately and with unwavering courage.
“I’m so grateful to my mum, she instilled to just fight back,” Scherre said. “And I do. Whenever I’ve gone through surgery, I prove a point that you can get up and go straight away.”
With her surgery approaching, Scherre said she has already entered “fight mode”, focusing on building her strength, spending precious time with her family and keeping her wacky sense of humour intact.
“We’ve got a really sick sense of humour,” she said.
“You look at us, and you wouldn’t know what we’ve been through because we keep plugging along.”
When she enters the operating theatre on September 10, Scherre’s mindset will be focused on more than just surviving this next round.
It’s about living, fighting back and finding joy in the little things that make life worth fighting for.
“I want to show people that there is light at the end of the tunnel,” she said.
“You’ve got to just concentrate on the good, keep moving, have your bucket list and be kind.”
Donations to Scherre’s GoFundMe page can be made at tinyurl.com/yzhzf7uu