Triumph through tragedy

She took her daughter’s words to heart and has carried on Valerie’s legacy with a series of children’s books. Called Val by those who love her, the young woman’s vibrant life was cut short when she was just 30 years old. Her dream, though, has lived on — to entertain, inspire and make the world a better place.

D’Ann shared some of her family’s story during a book signing at Sidekicks Book & Wine Bar on Jan. 11. As a longtime nurse in Texas, D’Ann never intended to be an author. Sometimes life has other plans, though. D’Ann had endured her own struggle with illness and had used that journey to help others through the written word. She wrote the book “Autoimmune Saved Me!” at the urging of her kids to share her restoration to health using a holistic living plan.

After the death of her daughter in 2016, D’Ann returned to writing with the Cheeky MaNeeky series — books to honor Valerie, continue her vision, and keep a promise. Several of those present at the Sidekicks book signing either knew Val or were related to her, including her brother Travis Doshier, his wife Becky and their 11-month-old son Wesley. Travis is employed at Simplot and Becky worked as a Rock Springs elementary school teacher until her son was born.

Val’s first ties to southwest Wyoming came when her brother Travis moved to Rock Springs around 10 years ago. She would come to visit and spend time exploring the outdoors. Those connections led to her selection as the artist commissioned to do the first-ever mural in downtown Rock Springs in 2014. Her passions at the time included art, music, modeling and creative writing.

THE MURAL

Valerie’s sister-in-law Becky knew that the Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency was looking for local artists to begin a series of downtown murals. When Becky heard that people weren’t submitting bids, she encouraged Valerie to try. Val sent in samples of her past mural work and a bid. She was selected. The young artist had already done other murals, including many in Vega, Texas, with her art partner Joshua Finley. The two had decorated the town she grew up in along Route 66 with murals honoring the historic route.

Valerie arrived in Rock Springs in the late fall of 2014, ready for the challenge of creating a work of art on the 126 by 25 foot wall on the side of the old Coors distribution building on Broadway Street near the overpass. Val stayed with her brother during the month and a half it took to complete the mural.

The task required thousands of dollars in paint and at least 47 trips to Home Depot by the artist. It was cold work. A scaffolding was erected with a space heater to keep the paint as well as Valerie from freezing. Her brother and some friends got thick plastic sheeting to drape around the work space. The finished product features a southwest Wyoming landscape with colorful rocks, Boar’s Tusk, an expansive blue sky with fluffy clouds and a moving train flanked by wild horses.

“It’s massive,” Valerie said in an article on the front page of the Dec. 10, 2014, edition of the Rocket Miner newspaper. “It’s nice to do this mural alone. You don’t know your true potential until you push yourself. Painting this size of a mural alone, it brings a strong sense of empowerment to what I’m capable of as an artist.”

One of the many projects she had in the works at that time included plans for a series of children’s books with three themes woven into each: self-esteem, family values and an environmental lesson.

CHEEKY MANEEKY

“Mom, when I’m gone, you’ve got to write the Cheeky books,” Val said during her short and intense struggle with cancer. “Read the notebook, and you’ll know what I want.”

In college, Valerie created the character Cheeky MaNeeky and envisioned a series of books about her. She had discussed Cheeky with her mom many times on the phone while Val was living in Denver. Valerie’s art partner Joshua said he would illustrate them.

Sure enough, the notebook was filled with ideas and instructions. The main character, Cheeky, looks, acts and dresses just like Valerie did when she was a child—right down to her large, pink glasses and pigtails. Her adventures, antics and travels are the same, too. Cheeky’s brother Finn is just like Travis. Her other companion is a magic dog named Pencil Toes.

Finn’s role in the books in regards to Cheeky is strikingly similar to the one Travis played in real life with his sister. D’Ann said Travis was the voice of reason when the two were growing up, saying things like, “Val, maybe you shouldn’t jump off the top of the barn.”

Young Valerie was adventurous, funny and rather stubborn. Her brother kept her on track and may have gotten a bit of grey hair doing so, their mom said. The newest Cheeky book tells about honeybees, and the main character ends up covered in honey — just like Valerie did.

When D’Ann sat down to write the first book, she thought, “I have no clue where to start this.” Suddenly, it seemed as though Valerie was funneling the information through her mom’s head. D’Ann is convinced that her daughter’s spirit was there helping her. She worked for hours on end without a break.

Valerie had already published a Cheeky MaNeeky coloring book before she got sick. After her death, D’Ann published a new, improved version. Every scene in it was inspired by the places Valerie has been and her experiences. The first adventure story written was “Cheeky Goes to Texas,” where Cheeky and her friends learn about helping others as they solve a problem for a mockingbird family. It was followed by “Cheeky goes to Colorado” and “Cheeky goes to Kansas.” 

HEALING JOURNEY

D’Ann’s first book, “Autoimmune Saved Me!” chronicles her five-year journey of health restoration using holistic methods. She had been diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune neuromuscular disease that is under the umbrella of multiple sclerosis. It is relatively rare and there is no cure. When the symptoms started, D’Ann was working as a nurse, had gone through a divorce and was helping Valerie deal with an all-terrain vehicle accident that meant the end of her daughter’s promising athletic career.

At first, D’Ann was losing hair as well as weight. Then, she started having tremors in her hands and a racing heart. Her first diagnosis was hyperthyroidism. One morning, she woke up and couldn’t open her left eye. Then, the entire left side of her face started to droop and she became short of breath. Following her myasthenia gravis diagnosis, D’Ann started western medicine’s treatment plan for the illness, including massive doses of steroids, drugs and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy. The only thing that seemed to work was the IVIG treatments, but only for a few weeks. She also went through a major surgery that didn’t help.

D’Ann began to come across information about holistic approaches to autoimmune diseases. Then in 2010, she had near liver failure twice and a gastrointestinal bleed on Mother’s Day that required blood transfusions. Doctors said that the medications she’d been taking were causing these life-threatening events.

The incredibly sick woman decided it was time to thoroughly investigate alternative treatments. She read more than 75 books, watched documentaries on holistic living programs and consulted herbalists, acupuncturists, nutritionists and yoga masters.

After five years of incorporating the things she learned, D’Ann said she was healthier and happier than she had ever been. The process involved physical, emotional and spiritual detoxification. She went totally organic and started making her own personal care products including soap, lotion and shampoo.

She is now retired from nursing. She works part time helping her husband at his auto parts store and serves as a health coach and public speaker. Her book details her healing journeym and all proceeds from the book as well as the Cheeky books benefit the Cheeky Maneeky project. Funds are used for advertising and to pay the illustrator and graphic designer. 

During her illness, D’Ann thought, “What the heck?” and wondered, “Why me?”

She didn’t know at the time that her ordeal with illness would help her care for her daughter. Valerie wanted only holistic treatment after she was diagnosed with cancer.

“If I hadn’t learned all that, I couldn’t have cared for her the way she wanted to be cared for,” D’Ann said. The choices Valerie made were easy for her mom to implement.

“In every situation, there’s a lesson to be learned,” D’Ann said. “Sometimes they’re hard ones and sad ones, but it makes you a bigger person. It expands you emotionally and spiritually.”

VAL VS. CARL

Valerie was diagnosed with cancer a little less than a year after she completed the Rock Springs mural. After painting the mural, she had gone to Texas to create another on a barn used as an events center. She stayed for Christmas with her family then returned to her home in Denver.

The following October, D’Ann received an unusual call from her daughter. She was behaving very strangely and not like herself at all. When her mom expressed concern, Valerie said she thought it might be stress. In addition to her busy work schedule, Val had gotten engaged to Nathan Evans, lead physical therapist for the London Royal Ballet, and was planning not only a wedding but a move to the United Kingdom.

D’Ann suggested that Valerie come “home” to Texas for awhile. Surprisingly, she agreed right away — also not characteristic of her. Valerie was expected to arrive on Monday; D’Ann thought it would probably be around the time she got off work. Instead, Val showed up at 4:30 a.m. with a purse and suitcase full of random, strange items. She was also dressed inappropriately. Val quickly went to lie down and slept for nearly a day and a half.

She never went back to Denver.

Not long after Val arrived in Texas, she called her mom crying because she was having trouble seeing and couldn’t remember the past hour. That’s when they found the gioblastoma. There is no good treatment.The tumors are aggressive and fast growing. They also develop tentacles when they form, making it extra difficult to remove them.

Valerie decided to have as much of the tumor removed as possible through surgery two weeks later in order to “buy some time,” but didn’t want any radiation or chemotherapy. When pressed, doctors admitted those treatments wouldn’t really make much difference anyway. Val and some of her friends decided to name her tumor Carl. She did a post-surgery photo shoot named Val vs. Carl.

Because of the location of the tumor, Valerie lost 75% of her vision after surgery. With help from her mom, she started holistic treatments. During the next couple months, medical imaging showed that the remaining tumor was growing at a rate of 10%, far less that the 50% expected. Val’s fiance quit his job with the London ballet and came to Texas to stay with her.

Then, Val had a bad stroke. She became comatose and wasn’t expected to live. D’Ann went to the funeral home. She knew exactly what kind of arrangements Val wanted. D’Ann returned to find her daughter sitting up in a chair and talking “90 miles an hour.”

Not long after that, though, Valerie decided to stop all treatments. She had never regained function of the right side of her body after the stroke, and she still only had about 25% of her vision.

“I’m done,” she told her mom.

She went into hospice care with a new-found sense of peace and calmness. The things she experienced while in a coma had changed her. She told her mom that she had seen the after life, including amazing colors, family members who had died before and what she had difficulty describing but referred to as “infinity.”

Valerie assured her mom that they would still be able to communicate after she was gone.

“I’ll come to you in your dreams,” she said.

She did. It first happened, though, while Val was still alive, even though she was in hospice care and mostly unresponsive. D’Ann had a vision. In it, she saw her daughter floating on what appeared to be a magic carpet. Val had long, flowing hair and was wearing a robe and holding a sign with the numbers 411 on it.

D’Ann was puzzled at first, until she realized the coming Monday was April 11 — 4/11. D’Ann told family members about the vision right away because she didn’t know if they would believe her after that date.

Valerie died on Monday, April 11, 2016, less than five months after her diagnosis. Family and friends celebrated her life at a memorial service that included everything and everyone she wanted, including a Christian cowboy friend from Texas and a black, gay friend from New York City.

“It’s all about love,” Valerie had said.

In life and in death, the young woman spread love, beauty and encouragement. Her imprint remains on the town of Rock Springs, and in the lives of those who knew her and even those who didn’t.

“What an honor to be part of such a big life in such a short time,” her mom said.