Carlson Family

Over the last week, our dear friends, the Carlson family, have experienced a rollercoaster of emotions.  On Wednesday, March 13, Shannon was experiencing some pain in her leg and back.  After visiting the clinic, it was determined she had a blood clot and given blood thinners.  She returned home and was contacted by her doctor later that evening that she needed to go to the hospital immediately.  Once Shannon was admitted, they began a series of more tests to determine she had May-Thurner Syndrome and had a blood clot.  On Friday, March 15, Shannon had surgery that required a stent and a filter placement to assist with blood flow and avoid a clot moving to other parts of her body.

As Shannon was recovering, she was still experiencing pain that did not subside after the removal of the blood clot.  They did more precautionary testing and determined on Monday, March 18 that Shannon had colon cancer.  Her doctors ran more test and scans to diagnose two tumors within her colon.  The hospital staff has been amazing and scheduled surgery immediately.  On Thursday, March 21, she went in for her second surgery in less than a week.  In this surgery, they removed part of her colon to get both of the tumors. 

Shannon and Bob have remained close to their faith and positive as they have gone through so much in nine days!  They now wait for the review from pathology and her doctors to determine the next steps. 

We send this as a request to support the Carlson family as they help Shannon during her recovery process.  Shannon is a positive, strong, and determined person.  She would also do anything to help others.   We ask for support for her family.   First and most importantly, we ask for prayers and wishes of speedy and healthy recovery.  Lowering stress levels is so important to help during the recovery process.  We are asking for your help via GoFundMe.  The medical expenses and recovery time will be significant.   For those that know Shannon, she is dedicated and wants to get back to work now – but she needs to take care of herself.  We know that Shannon needs to be in the hospital for another 3-5 days and will need to remain on medication for blood clots.    We appreciate anything you can do to help the family during this difficult time.  

Thank you for your support, love, and prayers.


Jill Russek ([email redacted]), Stacy Shoultz ([email redacted]), Dena Tuschen ([email redacted])