Cape community, businesses unite to support local family

Cathie Sheetz was a healthy 37-year-old just months ago, said her husband Ducky Sheetz, who is well-known throughout the Dewey and Rehoboth restaurant industry.

In July, she was experiencing pain and drove herself to Beebe Healthcare, where they found she had induced hepatitis, Ducky said. She was sent home about four days later.

“Then she called me in so much pain she could barely talk, her voice was so shallow,” Ducky said. “Our son Marshall, who is 9, called 911.”

Clinicians discovered that Cathie had acute pancreatitis, and liver failure was causing fluid to accumulate in her body, Ducky said. Doctors removed 13 liters of toxic fluid, which tested positive for E. coli, from her body cavity, and she needed emergency exploratory surgery, Ducky said.

“They needed to find out why her body is poisoning itself,” Ducky said. “They told me she had a 20 percent chance of surviving the surgery. Trying to explain to a 9-year-old boy, who’s fairly smart, what’s going on with his mom is tough, but he gets it. He even asked me one time if this could kill mommy when we left the hospital, and if he’s going to ask a question like that, I have to be honest with him: yes, it could.”

Surgeons removed five inches of her colon, Ducky said, and she will be using a colostomy bag for the next six to 12 months. A couple days after surgery, she was put into a medically induced coma and on a ventilator in the ICU because her oxygen levels were so low and she was having trouble breathing, he said.

“They started to ask: how far do you want this to go?” said Ducky. “They asked if she should be revived if she went into cardiac arrest, and I was like, where is that coming from? It literally came out of nowhere.”

Cathie spent 44 days in the hospital, Ducky said, where she was looked over by “nurse angels.”

“People at Beebe are just absolutely fantastic,” Ducky said. “They were by her side the entire time. They were really honest about everything, and I liked that the most.”

During her stay, she turned 38 and he turned 50. Joking about their age difference, he said since he was the older one, she was supposed to be caring for him.

“It’s a scary thing, and something you don’t think you’ll ever go through,” he said. “Six months ago, she was a normal, healthy woman. Now, she will probably need a liver transplant.”

Since she came home Oct. 21, Cathie has been resting and regaining her spirits and her weight, Ducky said. She usually weighs 125-130 lbs., and weighed 90 lbs. at her lowest while in the hospital.

After taking five weeks off to take care of her, Ducky said he’s now back at work at Nalu. Ducky said both he and Cathie were married before; the combined family has three daughters, all at University of Delaware. Marshall, whom they adopted, attends Rehoboth Elementary.

Ducky admits he was hesitant to start a GoFundMe because he doesn't like to ask for help, but insurance only covers a portion of their needs, and her care will continue into next year with new deductibles to meet.

“I have a box full of medical bills, with more coming in every day,” Ducky said. “She has a liver transplant possible in the future, and they don’t give those away.”

Ducky said he moved to the Cape Region in 1990 and has been touched by the outpouring of support from friends and community members.

“People are so benevolent and caring in this area,” Ducky said. “They want to help, and there’s only so much they can do, but it helps. Someone even came over and helped me fold laundry.”

The Sheetz refrigerator is full of food from family and friends.

“So many pasta dishes, I’m turning Italian,” he joked. “It’s so good to be part of a caring community. Around here, people seem to care about each other a lot more.”

Ducky said he and Cathie enjoy many of the same things, from food to traveling, and have taken their children to seven countries and 30 states.

“She’s a sweetheart; I guess it was love at first sight. Nobody who meets her doesn’t love her to death, because she has a fantastic personality. She’s kind and she’s easy on the eyes, too,” he said. “I’ve divorced myself in my head from the negativity of it, so all I can do is give her as much support as possible. There’s no point sitting around crying; I’ve cried all the tears I can. Now I’m focused on getting her better.”

Fundraiser set for Saturday, Nov. 13 at the Rusty Rudder

When Highway One President Alex Pires learned about Cathie’s situation, he knew he had to do something to help.

“Ducky and Cathie both used to work at the Rudder,” he said. “He went head over heels for her, like in the movies.”

Pires organized a fundraiser, set for 6 to 9 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 13 with a silent auction of products, services and gift cards from local businesses. A live auction will feature rare and valuable bourbons, including four bottles of Pappy Van Winkle bourbons from Pires’ private collection that are 23, 20, 15 and 13 years old, some of which have been auctioned before for up to $3,000, he said. 

A 40-year-old port, highly collectible wines, a surfboard and bicycles are some of the other live auction items, Pires said.

Food and alcohol will be available for purchase, all donated by Highway One and distributors, Pires said, so all proceeds can go directly to the Sheetz family; Ducky said he hopes Cathie will feel well enough to attend. 

“The goal is to help them get these horrible medical bills off their backs,” Pires said. “Insurance doesn’t cover all the special things they need.”

Anyone who cannot attend the fundraiser and wants to assist the Sheetz family can still donate through the GoFundMe; search for “Cathie’s medical expenses” or go to bit.ly/3EWCw71.