Sheila Jane George

Sheila George was born October 13, 1962 in Miami, Oklahoma to Betty and Gary Boyd and she passed away on September 20, 2022. She is preceded in death by her daughter, Shelby and her father Gary Boyd. Sheila is survived by her husband, her mother Betty Boyd , her sister Sheri Kee and husband Craig and nephews Drew and Alec Kee, her Aunt Becky and Uncle Charlie Nickerson and her cousins Robin Salinas and Brian Nickerson. I met Sheila forty-two years ago during the winter of 1980. She was driving her '71 firebird and I was in my Camaro but I could not get her attention, in fact she wanted nothing to do with me as I was to find out later. One night, in frustration, I walked out into traffic to meet this fierce woman and she would either run over me or stop. She stopped. She pulled into the parking lot and we talked for a few minutes. I was able to make her laugh by telling her I was the first test tube baby and she never heard of me because I was not the most successful case. She agreed to go out with me and I told my friend Richard I was going to marry her. Later that year, on 27th of September, we were married in a small ceremony in Fairland, Oklahoma. We never discussed our roles in the marriage as I suppose neither of us had any real expectations or the challenges we would face, I just wanted her on the journey and she agreed. Life went on, jobs, moves, friends, education and then in 1995 our daughter Shelby came into our lives. Sheila was a high- risk patient and we had been warned that Shelby had a increased risk of serious impairment. Sheila and I discussed it and we decided whatever the outcome, we would proceed as was her choice. Shelby came to us after Sheila endured thirteen hours of contractions until she was rushed to c-section and never once during the time did she cry out in pain though I knew she was hurting greatly. Shelby was born on 15 January 1995 and she was the joy of Sheila's life. As Shelby grew, Sheila noticed small things of concern and so she began the search for answers why Shelby was progressing so well in many ways and yet in not others. Sheila was tireless in this quest for an answer and she scheduled appointments with all manner of specialists, ENT, Internal, Neurologists, geneticists, audiologists and the list goes on. It was little things, like a hearing delay or a speech issue and so Sheila was directed that path and that path led to another. Along the way she tolerated notations and verbalizations we were just inadequate parents or Shelby had this ailment or that until Sheila finally found the answer in her search, she found a mention of a rare disorder, mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIA, or San Filippo Syndrome and She scheduled the appointments with the physicians where this was eventually confirmed when Shelby was five and a half years old. Sheila had spent more than four years just to get an answer and the answer was literally "there is no hope, your daughter will die in her mid to late teens". This was not acceptable to us and Sheila found the communities online and began her research into this world of scared families seeking answers, whispers from contacts about this program or that program that might have something that can help. Sheila was a tireless advocate for Shelby, leading the fight for the services promised as well as those that were available. She fought insurance, schools, medical establishments all to force these bureaucracies, these intransigent forces who exist to save the ones they think they can and quietly dispose those they cannot or will not. We fell into our roles in this battle, she was the advance, the feather and I was the hammer. She researched what every provider was to provide and she fought the battles to obtain what Shelby required.During this battle for her daughter, Sheila was suffering the long years dealing with diabetes and arthritis. He kidneys failed and she went on dialysis first in a clinic and then home dialysis. We nearly lost her in winter of 2008-9 when her dialysis site became infected and she was admitted in septic shock. I had had to leave Sheila in the ER as the nurse aid was leaving our house at 11PM when her shift ended and I was to take over. I left Sheila barely alive in the ER, in a bay without attendance, to get to Shelby and I called her family. As always, Betty and Sheri went into action and arrived to help. The hospital called to say that Sheila was being transferred to ICU. I returned to the hospital as soon as Shelby's day shift nurse arrived. The attending doctor told me that Sheila would likely not last the morning, she needed surgery and no surgeon would accept her case. I asked the doctor to continue searching and finally a surgeon agreed and Sheila survived. Later in 2011, Sheila would get a kidney transplant. Through all of this and even in moments of frustration, Sheila never complained for herself. She persisted and she survived. During all of that and after, the battle for Shelby continued until 28th of January, 2015 when Shelby exhausted the limits of her body and her soul travelled on to that undiscovered country. Sheila cradled Shelby in her arms, reassuring her throughout her passing and finally telling Shelby it was going to be all right to go on, that we would be ok and will join her when we can. Shelby took her last breath and was gone. We had been three and now were smaller. Sheila had the idea that to remember Shelby, we would take her sock monkeys on our travels and take their picture where we were and this helped bring us back. Eventually, the ravages of diabetes and arthritis had taken their toll. Sheila steadily became ill last Thanksgiving and this continued to February when she had to be hospitalized and after discharge, she was too weak to do more than stand for a few seconds. Last week, Sheila's long marathon was coming to an end and on the 15th of September, I took her to the hospital for the last time. Sheila spent a life unconcerned for herself and being the calm to my storm and the champion of our daughter. Everything I have learned about character, moral courage and decency I have learned from her and the other strong women who have allowed me to know them. Now, Sheila's race has run, she fought the good fight and now she has gone on to join our daughter. Until we meet again,Kevin