"I feel great," said Shimogayto, who has been battling osteogenic sarcoma since October of 2005, last week. "I feel blessed. I know God is with me and is looking down on me. Sometimes, I wonder why this all happened to me, but I guess things happen for a reason."
Shimogayto's medical costs have been high, but they will get some help from local officials and residents.
A softball event scheduled for today (Sunday, June 3) will pit the North Bergen Police Department against the North Bergen High School teachers at the 64th Street Softball Field, beginning at 12 noon. The two teams will play a series of three games.
All proceeds from the game will go to help Shimagayto's medical costs.
Tickets for the event are only $2. Everyone is invited to attend.
Leg started hurting in 2005
Shimogayto first started having symptoms in the fall of 2005.
"My leg was hurting a lot," Shimogayto said. "I went for x-rays, but nothing came of them. I then got a little lump on my leg and I was getting massages to treat that. I was also putting Icy Hot on my leg, but nothing would happen."
Then, one fateful day, Shimogayto fell in school and broke the femur in her right leg. In treating the broken leg, doctors then found that Shimogayto had cancer.
"It was October 7," Shimogayto said. "I'll always remember the day. When I found out, I was crying. I couldn't move my leg and it hurt a lot. When I found out it was cancer, I didn't know what to think, but I kept the faith."
Rina Benevides, Shantall's mother, immediately thought the worst.
"Yeah, I thought it was really bad news," said Benevides, a native of Peru. "The only thought I had was that I was going to lose my little girl. But then she gave me strength. God gave us strength. We believed that we could make anything better."
After several surgeries to try to prevent amputation, the inevitable took place. The cancer had spread so much that Shimogayto's leg had to be removed.
"Sometimes, I do think like I can't believe this happened," Shimogayto said. "I liked to run. I would love to run again. But I'm walking now with my crutches a little and soon I'll get a prosthetic leg. There are ways to get around."
Since being diagnosed in October of 2005, Shimagayto has been receiving treatment and assistance from the famed Tomorrow's Children Institute at Hackensack University Medical Center.
When North Bergen Police Detective Henry Marrero learned of Shimogayto's courage through her plight, he figured he had to do something, anything to help. Marrero is assigned to duty at the school and is in contact with hundreds of students each day. None are like Shantall Shimogayto.
"I saw her at the school with that great smile and always happy," Marrero said. "I figured there was something that we could do to help here. I learned a lot about her through her guidance counselors."
Part of everything at school
Cheryl Vandermark is one of those guidance counselors who assisted Shimogayto, the product of a Peruvian mother and Japanese father who has since passed away.
"We tried all year long to make sure that Shantall was a part of everything we did," Vandermark said. "She wasn't able to go to school all the time, but when she was here, she attended pep rallies and other activities, just to make her feel like she was part of the class. I've known Shantall for four years and she's always been such a great kid."
So Marrero, Vandermark, and Michelle Martoral, another guidance counselor, got their heads together and thought of a way that they could help the amazingly upbeat Shimogayto.
When Marrero came up with the idea to hold a game, he was figuring he would get a handful of people to donate some money here and there.
"I didn't have a goal in mind," Marrero said. "I just wanted to do something. When word of mouth got out about the event, it just sort of exploded and everyone started to chip in."
"We had kids donating their lunch money," Vandermark said. "We had a dress-down day among the teachers to raise money. Everyone has been supportive."
The event has received full support from Mayor Nicholas Sacco and the Board of Commissioners, as well as the Board of Education.
"Because she's such a pleasant kid, it's a pleasure to do something nice for her," Vandermark said. "I think it's also a good life lesson for our students, teaching them that they can do nice things for other people in need. Everyone has come together for Shantall. I feel really proud that everyone wants to help."
Another surgery, then prom
While doctors believe that they finally have a handle on Shimogayto's cancer, she recently had to undergo another surgery to remove a tumor from her lung. Less than two weeks later, Shimogayto attended her senior prom, a prom that was dedicated to her this year.
"Can you believe that?" Vandermark said. "She had surgery on her lung and a week and a half later, she came to the prom. She's an amazing kid."
"She's so upbeat," Martoral said. "I don't know if I would have the strength to do it."
Sacco was enlightened by the courage of the young woman.
"She's outstanding," Sacco said. "She's so vibrant and happy. You just watch her face and you can see she's not defeated. She's determined to beat this. Her strength is based on her love of God and her family. Now, her friends are coming together to help her."
Marrero said that he feels good about the efforts, which has now included several local businesses that have pledged their support.
"She's really an inspiration to me," Marrero said. "I have four children of my own and I would never want to see them go through what Shantall has had to endure. Just seeing her face makes you realize why we're here." Shimogayto, who will graduate later this month and hopes to attend Bergen County Community College in the fall, is determined to live a long life.
"God is my strength, but everyone else around me has made me strong," Shimogayto said. "I'm going to fight it. I already have. Since the last surgery, doctors have told me that I'm now cancer-free. I really feel blessed that I have all these people who care for me."
Just one look at that infectious smile makes you want to help as well.
Tickets for the charity softball event are priced at $2. All are invited to attend. If anyone cares to make a donation, make your check payable to Shantall Shimogayto & Family and mail it to 6504 Durham Avenue, North Bergen, NJ, 07047. Jim Hague can be reached via e-mail at either OGSMAR@aol.com or jhague@hudsonreporter.com
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