YORKTON – Local social media sensation, “Grandma Sherry,” is taking her message of "good medicine" from the small screen of TikTok to a national television audience.
During a storytelling circle hosted by the Yorkton Indigenous Friendship Centre this week, the self-proclaimed loner-turned-social media sensation revealed she has been tapped for a second TV series on APTN, with a pilot set to film later this summer.
The news comes as Grandma Sherry’s online following has surged to over 235,000, a "path to fame" she credits to her granddaughter. While her first series focused on the Dakota language, this upcoming English program aims to bring her teachings on healing and Indigenous culture to a global stage.
“People are good; people are hungry for goodness,” she told the group. “They really are.”
For the listeners gathered in the circle, the announcement was paired with a deeply personal story of survival. Grandma Sherry’s transformation into the beloved figure she is today began exactly 10 years ago on Mother’s Day — the day her battle with cancer began. At the time, she was newly single and trying to find her footing in a new home, but her health forced a sudden, life-altering shift in focus.
“I wanted to live,” she recalled, speaking of the gruelling chemotherapy treatments. “Bring it on.”
While she encouraged the group to trust the medical system as her own mother once urged her to do, she explained that her spiritual healing came from reconnecting with her Indigenous roots. Raised in a Christian household, she found profound comfort in the power of the smudge during her illness.
“As I breathed the smudge in, it seemed to soothe my spirit,” she said softly. “It reminded me that I was here on Mother Earth and the Father Sky was right here. Cancer gave me a great peace and understanding of the world I never had before. It brought me to a level that was so beautiful.”
With the quick wit her TikTok followers adore, she sparked laughter among the tears, joking, “Now, I’m not telling you all to run out and get cancer!”
Having just marked the 10-year anniversary of her diagnosis this past Mother’s Day, Grandma Sherry admitted the tears still come — but they are now tears of gratitude for being "lifted up" through the storm.
“I have only been Grandma Sherry for about three years. Before that, I was just Sheryl,” she mused. “I even treat Grandma Sherry nicely. I kind of like Grandma Sherry myself.”
