This website uses cookies

Read our Privacy policy and Terms of use for more information.

Erika Berry, pictured, third from the right, celebrates her daughter Hailey's graduation from West Liberty-Salem High School in 2023 with her family, including, from the left, her husband, Ryan, son Brody, mother Deborah Hayslip, son Zachary, daughter and WL-S graduate Hailey, father Mike Hayslip, son Oliver and daughter Zoe. (PHOTO PROVIDED BY BERRY FAMILY)

When Erika Berry looks back on the year cancer turned her family’s life upside down, she remembers the chemotherapy, surgeries, radiation and fear.

But just as clearly, she remembers meals appearing at the door. She remembers friends checking in, people helping with her children, and neighbors taking care of things that suddenly seemed impossible.

She recalls a farmer helping with mowing so her husband, Ryan, could spend those hours where he was needed most. She remembers churches, schools, businesses and even strangers finding ways to lighten a burden they could not take completely away.

And she remembers thinking: “Someday, I want to be the person doing this for somebody else. All I want to do is serve,” Berry said.

For the West Liberty wife and mother of five, surviving breast cancer didn't simply leave her grateful to be alive. It changed how she wants to live….READ MORE….

Members can read the full story below. Thank you for supporting local journalism.

logo

Subscribe and Become a Member

Becoming a member of the Chronicle gives you so much more than the rest of this article.

Upgrade

Member Benefits Include:

  • Exclusive Local Discounts
  • Access To ALL Content Digitally
  • Better Local Journalism
  • Optional Print Edition Delivered Weekly

Keep Reading