STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Sher Foster worked to save an untold number of lives during her years as head of the Crisis Hotline.

Now she’s needing help from others as she fights for her life.

Foster began to feel ill shortly after retiring from the Crisis Hotline in January. She felt feverish, nauseous. She was vomiting and experiencing jaundice.

Locals surgeons determined that tumors were blocking the flow of bile, which is needed for proper digestion. They implanted stents to keep the ducts functioning.

During a follow-up visit at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., doctors diagnosed a cancerous cholangiocarcinomas and prescribed aggressive chemo and radiation under the care of a Wood River Valley physician who had trained at the Mayo Clinic.

While undergoing treatment, Foster needs 24-hour home care, which will cost a minimum of $50,000. A gofundme account has been set up to help with those costs at https://www.gofundme.com/help-sher-beat-rare-cancer.

“Sher Foster needs our help,” said Mary Austin Crofts, who worked with her at the Crisis Hotline in recent years. “She truly is an angel who has saved countless lives and given much of her life to help others. I witnessed the passion and sincerity of this amazing woman as she worked to make the community—and the world—a better place to live. I interviewed many recipients of her generosity who said they would not be alive without her help and guidance.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: Sadly, Sheryl Luana Foster, as she was born in 1947 in Sandpoint, passed away after this story was written. A celebration of her life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 15, at The Life Church in Hailey.

Her brother Darryl, who lives in Boise, will close out the Go Fund Me account on May 25. He thanks everyone for their support over his sister over the 12 years that she oversaw the Crisis Hotline.

Sher grew up on a family farm in Clark Fork where she gained an appreciation of nature, animals and art. She studied pre-Columbian art in Mexico City and obtained a Masters in Art, after which she spent a year in Iran teaching art to the children of Americans living abroad. She created stained glass windows for private homes while living in Hawaii and later taught art to grade school children in the Wood River Valley.

An avid hiker and cross country skier, she could often be seen walking the Wood River bike path. She also helped restore wolves to Yellowstone National Park.