The Prothro Family Files

Cheryl Prothro: Part TwoIn this conversation, Cheryl reflects on marriage, motherhood, suffering, and the quiet ways love reveals itself over time.Much of this chapter centers on her relationship with her husband, Charlie — a love story built not on grand declarations, but on humor, loyalty, and steadiness. Cheryl recalls the early days of their courtship with vivid detail: meeting halfway between Dallas and Wichita Falls for hamburgers, listening to Frank Sinatra and jazz records, and watching Charlie pursue her with a gentleness and intentionality that felt increasingly rare. She also reflects on what a gift it was to witness the kind of father he already was before they began building a family together.The conversation then turns toward motherhood, a role Cheryl describes simply as “miracle.” She speaks with awe about pregnancy, childbirth, nursing, and raising five children, while also reflecting honestly on heartbreak, blended family dynamics, long-distance parenting, and the helplessness every parent eventually feels when watching a child suffer. Even in those moments, Cheryl’s instinct is not to control, but simply to remain present.Cheryl’s unmistakable sense of humor and infectious laugh are woven throughout the conversation as she shares stories about dressing mishaps during cancer treatment, cowboy matchmaking schemes at the rodeo, Charlie learning sports terminology, and the realities of family life. The levity never distracts from the depth of the conversation — it reveals someone who has learned to hold joy and sorrow at the same time.More than anything, this conversation is about what endures: faith, tenderness, resilience, honesty, and the daily choice to keep loving one another through every season of life.—Recorded on February 23, 2026 in Azle, Texas. Interview conducted by Ashley Adamson Coakley.

Cheryl Prothro: Part OneIn this conversation, Cheryl reflects on the early experiences, relationships, and moments of faith that shaped the way she sees the world.What comes through most clearly is a deep and steady trust in God. Cheryl speaks about her daily rhythms: waking early, watching the sunrise, and beginning each day with gratitude - not as practices formed in response to hardship, but as an extension of a belief system built over time. Even as she acknowledges the reality of her glioblastoma diagnosis in April of 2025, her posture remains consistent: she is grateful to be here, and she knows she is being held.She traces that perspective back to her childhood in Wichita Falls, Texas. Raised in a close-knit family, Cheryl describes a home shaped by both resilience and intention - particularly through her mother, who lost the use of one arm to polio yet raised three children without allowing it to define her. Her father’s emphasis on accountability and follow-through also left a lasting imprint, forming an early framework for how Cheryl understands responsibility, discipline, and care.At the center of her story is a moment she identifies as a turning point in her faith. At twelve years old, she prayed that a girl named Leah Malouf would be the one chosen to stand behind her in a ceremony at summer camp. When that exact outcome unfolded, it became something more than coincidence. For Cheryl, it was evidence that God hears, that no prayer is too small, and that His presence is personal. That moment - and Leah’s role in it - became a lasting reference point for her understanding of God’s faithfulness.That belief carries into the present. Cheryl is honest about this season of life, and her posture is one of trust, not fear. There are moments of sadness - especially when she considers the people she loves - but they exist within something steadier. More than anything, this is a reflection on a deep faith formed early, tested over time, and lived out with a quiet confidence that, in every season, God is ever-present and faithful.—Recorded on February 23, 2026 in Azle, Texas. Interview conducted by Ashley Adamson Coakley.

In this conversation, Charlie reflects on what it means to love, to care for, and to walk alongside Cheryl in one of the most uncertain seasons of their lives.What comes through most clearly is not fear, but devotion. Charlie speaks about the quiet daily work of caregiving, the challenge of living without a roadmap, and the slow, ongoing process of learning to surrender control. A lifelong planner, he finds himself in a season that asks something entirely different of him: presence, patience, and trust.He shares the moment he first sensed something was different - an Easter Sunday that felt unlike any other - and the shock of Cheryl’s diagnosis soon after. From there, the conversation moves between the practical and the deeply personal: how their family has navigated this together, how his faith is being reshaped, and how Cheryl’s unwavering trust in God has become both an anchor and an invitation.There are also glimpses of the life they’ve built: the early days of their relationship, the joy of raising children, and the seasons that defined Cheryl as a mother. Even in the hardest moments, there is a throughline of gratitude, humor, and awe at the way she continues to live each day.More than anything, this is a reflection on love, showing up, and learning day by day what it means to let go and hold on at the same time.—Recorded on February 23, 2026 in Azle, Texas. Interview conducted by Ashley Adamson Coakley.

On their very first date, Cheryl and Charlie both had the same goal: make a good impression. Charlie arrived ready to “woo her off her feet,” and Cheryl did her best to order something reasonably priced -- despite a menu with no prices in sight. What followed was a confident (and slightly misguided) order of foie gras… by both of them.It’s the kind of beginning where nothing goes exactly right -- and somehow, everything does.