A POPULAR Weymouth pub singer and entertainer says she wants to enjoy the time she has left after being diagnosed with alcohol related liver disease.

Sheryl Lee, who has performed on the Weymouth pub circuit for more than 15 years, is now receiving end-of-life palliative care.

She has chosen to tell her story because she wants to help others who are going through something similar.

Drinking alcohol was a way to combat her shyness, Sheryl said, and she would regularly have a bottle of wine before she went on stage.

Sheryl has worked in entertainment all her life and travelled a lot with her work, including working in a Las Vegas casino as an entertainer for six months.

She said: “Throughout my career I spent a lot of time in pubs and clubs and alcohol became my friend. It sneaks up on you.

“It was my go-to to make me feel better. When my brother tragically died, I couldn’t deal with the grief, so I pushed it down and pretended it hadn’t happened. This caused me to drink more and led to a mini breakdown.”

Sheryl’s friends encouraged her to get back out and sing again and this led to her becoming a popular pub singer on the circuit in Weymouth for 15 years.

The amount Sheryl was drinking eventually reached around three bottles of wine a day.

After a two week detox Sheryl was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2004.

She struggled to get away from drinking and said she was in a relationship in which she was ‘fed alcohol’.

Bournemouth Echo: Sheryl and her mother Sheryl and her mother (Image: British Liver Trust)

During the Covid lockdown Sheryl was drinking more and in 2021 was admitted to hospital suffering from jaundice and malnourishment.

She said: “I was stunned and shocked when I was told I had cirrhosis and diagnosed with alcohol related liver disease. The hospital told me my pancreas was ruined too and I couldn’t have another drink.”

By the end of 2021 Sheryl was listed for a liver transplant but due to a weak valve in her heart was taken off it, then put back on it in November 2022, only to be heartbreakingly removed from it again after falling ill with fluid in her lungs.

Sheryl said her ‘whole world crumbled’ when she was told a transplant wasn’t possible.

“Everything I was fighting for and being positive for was just taken away from me.

“I was then put into palliative care. I’d had enough, I wanted to go into a hospice.”

Sheryl was suffering from encephalopathy, a change in her mental state, and fell into a coma.

She is now urging anyone in a similar situation not to give up, to seek help as early as possible and get diagnosed.

“Although it’s not easy, try to stay positive. Get as much help, advice, and knowledge as you can. Advocate for yourself, you never know what options are open to you. Make sure you are getting the care you deserve,” she said.

After two stays in hospital Sheryl returned to Weymouth to see her friends, the sea and inspire others who are going through the same thing as she is.

Now in palliative care, she says: “I want to enjoy the time I have left. Life can still go on. You will still be looked after even if a transplant is no longer an option.”

The British Liver Trust’s website can be found at www.britishlivertrust.org.uk with comprehensive information about liver disease, including an online screener where people can find out if they are at risk of liver disease. A free nurse-led helpline provides advice and support Monday to Friday 9am-3pm.