After falling in love at first sight, Scott and Sherry Naso got married during Covid 19, but their happy start was interrupted by Sherri’s cancer diagnosis, and the subsequent fight to get her to the doctor for treatment.
“It was so special when I first met Sherry’s parents. They seemed like great people, accomplished doctors. We get along really well. It was nice to have them around to help out during her early cancer diagnosis.”
The topic of having children came up after Sherri’s diagnosis.
“Given Sherry’s diagnosed with breast cancer was a decision that had to be made, because Sherry couldn’t have a child naturally because the medication she was going to be on, surrogacy is extremely expensive process, and Sherry’s parents did help us a lot financially. We had an egg donor,” Naso told People Magazine.
“When Leila was born, is when things changed… the real shift, I would say, would be around Christmas of 2023. They had basically moved into our home. They were interjecting in our conversations. I would go to Sherry time and time again and communicate about boundaries and how this was becoming toxic to our family and toxic to our marriage… She was only listening to her parents.”
After arriving home to find his wife displaying symptoms of a stroke, Naso tried to get her to go to the hospital, but was stopped by her mother.
“The day she went to the hospital… that’s when I found out her cancer was back… Sherry’s parents never came to the hospital. Hours before she died, I called them… they said: ‘I think we’ll pass’. Sherry’s parents didn’t attend her funeral. Her mother didn’t attend her wake,” said Naso.
“She shouldn’t be dead.”
Evidence of their influence on Sherry’s decision not to seek medical help was uncovered after her death.
“Going through her phone after her death, Sherry’s parents had been giving her medical advice. They encouraged her to not seek medical attention. They engaged in behaviour that was consistent, or is consistent with Munchausen by proxy.”
From their daughter to granddaughter
One scary incident happened the day of Sherri’s death when her parents forced medication down her toddler’s throat with an oral syringe.
“Sherry’s mother [was] holding her shoulders. Sherry’s father had one hand on the middle of her chest without my permission, without my consent, just did it.”
Naso was sued by Sherry’s parents for visitation rights.
“Even while Sherry was in the hospital, I believe they had begun this campaign to basically undermine me and essentially take Layla away from me.”
On the other side of victory
“Legally speaking, I did win in court,” said Naso.
Now the father of one is doing his best to take care of his daughter while keeping the memory of his late wife alive.
“Layla, right now is thriving. I do everything I can to make sure she has no knowledge of what is going on at all… I say that I’ll use the word blissfully unaware, and that is how I’d like to keep it for as long as possible… Layla understands that her mother isn’t here. She says, “Mommy’s in our hearts.”
