2021 Recipients

Amy Danz

After several years of health complications – beginning in mid-2018 – that entailed routine lab draws, frequent doctor visits and intermittent hospital stays, the severity of my health significantly increased. After many more rounds of tests, I was diagnosed with liver disease, which prompted the doctors to review my new diet plan that included some limitations, the most important of which was lowering my sodium intake. A liver transplant was also mentioned in conversation, but it was noted that it was not needed at that time. As time went on, I continued with lab draws and such; however, the results began to take a turn for the worse.

In early August of 2020, I was admitted to Lancaster General Hospital (LGH) for treatment of hyperkalemia (a raised level of potassium). My reading of 9.2 – much higher than is normal – could possibly do serious damage to my heart and brain. LGH got my level back to normal and then the Hospital of the University of Philadelphia (HUP) stepped in and I was transported to their hospital. My stay there was just short of a month. During my hospitalization, I learned that the only way to continue with life is to move forward with a liver transplant.

From August 2020 until February 1, 2021, while I awaited a match, I was slowly getting sicker. Hospital stays became monthly occurrences, while lab draws increased to anywhere from 1 to 4 times per week. Because of not having an appetite, I lost a lot of weight. My muscle strength diminished. I began to look sick. I struggled every day with the feeling that my entire body was “sick.” I wore a poker face many days to cover up how sick I was. I had been sick for so long that I could not remember what it felt like to wake up and not feel the sickness.

Fear also became a constant in my life. I had become so sick that I was afraid to go to sleep for fear of not waking up. I was afraid for my family. I was afraid that God would not hear my prayers. But just in the nick of time, before I became too ill to even undergo a transplant, I got the call. On February 1, 2021, I was gifted another chance at life, for which I will be forever grateful. I am determined to treat my liver with a silver spoon and no longer live in fear.

Cory Imler

In August of 2016, Cory was experiencing pain from what was found to be a kidney stone. That emergency room visit started a roller coaster ride for his whole family. During the visit, the doctor noticed Cory’s spleen was enlarged and he was encouraged to seek additional medical attention. Shortly after the ER visit, he began to experience unusual abdominal pain and shortness of breath any time he would exert himself. Thinking that being out of shape was catching up with him morphed into something much more.

Cory has been a volunteer fireman for almost 20 years and served as the Upper Leacock fire chief, as well. He finally realized that something was very wrong during a fire company training event. He noticed he could barely last five minutes on his air pack without getting short of breath and experiencing extreme exhaustion. At his full-time job as a water-treatment operator, he began to notice he was really fatigued and just didn't feel right.

Cory was finally referred to a specialist in Maryland, where a PET scan was ordered. That led to issues with his health insurance companies. The PET Scan order was denied, which left Cory and his wife, Mindy, to ponder the next step. They were informed they would have to pay out-of-pocket for the scan unless it showed something was wrong. Mindy insisted they proceed, assuring him, “We will find a way to pay for it and there’s no other choice than getting it done.” As it turns out, she was right. According to Cory, “I don’t think we were back in Pennsylvania for five minutes and we got a call from the doctor saying the PET scan lit up like a Christmas tree. He was 99% sure I had Hodgkin’s lymphoma and chemo would start immediately.” 

While the doctor’s assessment of the scan was correct, his diagnosis was incorrect. A few days later, after a biopsy was done, Cory heard the word “sarcoidosis” -- what in the world is that?

 Sarcoidosis, the Imler family would soon discover, is an inflammatory disorder that can affect many organs in the body. The usual course of sarcoidosis, which impacts breathing, can often be treated by steroids and oftentimes goes away. Cory’s case is one of the most advanced any of his doctors and specialists had ever seen, as he has inflammatory granulomas in his joints, lungs, liver, spleen and other organs.

Cory has experienced victories and setbacks in his battle against sarcoidosis. He has visited with the few sarcoidosis specialists there are across the country in hopes of finding appropriate treatment. The Lancaster Cancer Center, which has tried a number of different drugs and chemotherapies to get the disease under control, is among them. He has been in and out of hospitals so much that the doctors and nurses know him and his family on a first-name basis. Cory is now facing a new battle. He has been diagnosed with neurosarcoidosis, as a result of tests showing that the disease has attacked his brain, spinal cord and nervous system.

Sarcoidosis and neurosarcoidosis have changed the lives of Cory’s family members in so many ways. They agree they could not have endured without their faith in God and the supportive friends who are in their lives. While there is no known cure for Cory’s advanced case of sarcoidosis, his family’s faith continues to hold onto hopes and prayers for complete healing and restoration of Cory’s ability to provide for his family.

pedro Rodriquez

Born in Bogota, Colombia, Pedro has lived in Puerto Rico, Michigan and Pennsylvania. He and his family have called Lancaster home for more than 26 years. About five years ago, Pedro began feeling ill and was experiencing issues related to his lungs. He was told that his survival was dependent upon a double-lung transplant.

In November 2020, he was the recipient of a transplant and equates the gift of new lungs to a feeling of “being reborn.” He also shares that he has learned to appreciate and enjoy every second of his life since undergoing the transplant. Pedro reports he has returned to work and now takes daily walks. He is looking forward to traveling again and engaging in outdoor activities such as bike riding. He also hopes to be able to help others by sharing what he calls his “miraculous experience.”  

Cheryl Dixon

In 2017, Cheryl Dixon went back to work after staying home to raise her three children, who are now 11,13 and 15 years old. Subsequently, she began experiencing pain, which her doctors dismissed. Her gastroenterologist told her that since she was under the age of 50, the likelihood of cancer was very low.

After enduring another year of being in pain and losing weight, she decided to get a colonoscopy. In June 2019, it was discovered that a large tumor was blocking her rectum. She was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer. She went through radiation for six weeks as well as numerous rounds of chemotherapy, hoping the tumor would shrink enough to remove it.

The radiation caused her intestines to burst, which led to the first of many life-threatening surgeries. She underwent a colostomy and later an ileostomy and took many scary trips to the ER. During one round of chemotherapy, the medication prompted Cheryl to have grand mal seizures.

In June 2020, she was able to have the tumor removed, as well as some of her colon. She also underwent a hysterectomy. She had what she thought was her last surgery in September to reverse the ileostomy. Unfortunately, scar tissue and damage from the radiation sent her to the ER multiple times with small bowel obstructions. She recently had another emergency surgery that will hopefully remedy the problem.

Cheryl looks forward to healing and getting back to reading, gardening and being at the beach. She looks forward to Covid being over so that she can volunteer again at her kids’ schools.

Incredibly, she is thankful for this journey, as it has brought her family closer together. “God has taken care of every one of our needs and has blessed us through our friends and family and even strangers,” she says. Cheryl is blessed to have recently celebrated her 50th birthday and her 20th anniversary with her husband, Jason. Whether it’s another few years or another few days, she is gratefully enjoying her family.