our culture: ARTIST MARLA GRAY SHEFT
Local Artist Fights Her Way Back
From the Wasteland of Cancer
By MEL W RHODES
30
A
lways an active, creative dynamo — her parents
called her “Little Mighty Mouse” — Marla Grey Sheft
has had to come to terms with a grim reality: cancer
alters lives.
Her life in an altered state began with a cancer diag-
nosis dropped on her like a bomb Sept. 29, 2015.
“I was always very active,” she said. “I taught skiing
for 13 years, Canadian-certified. I used to teach horse-
back riding, waterskied, had a rowing scull, hiking, all
that stuff. I was healthy and ate well, then I ended up
with cancer. It doesn’t matter what you do, I guess.”
Sheft had a bilateral mastectomy and underwent a
year and a half of chemotherapy, her last infusion taking
place on March 31, 2017. She said she had three breast
cancer-related surgeries, one per year.
“And I just had another one, which was my fourth
[surgery], on my right hand, my dominant hand, because
of all the falls I had,” she said.
Chemotherapy devastated Sheft, who was diagnosed
as estrogen, progesterone and her 2 positive.
“Just after two infusions, I was so toxic — passing
out violently, not knowing where I was ending up,” she
recalled. “Driving home from the cancer center and not
remembering, here in Weatherford. I was put into the
hospital here for five days. I have no memory of hearing
anything or seeing anything. Those five days are a big