A Story of Tragedy and Hope

This story involves several of my family members…

Brian & Shalene Solan (my niece & nephew-in-law from my sister)

and Grant & Veronica Fournier (my nephew & niece-in-law from my brother)

Brian and Shalene have been married for 21 years. They have 2 daughters, Laynie 17 & Olivia 11.

Brian has been fighting diabetes since he was seven years old.

In 2010, he had his first stroke and found out he had stage two kidney disease. From 2010 until 2021, Brian tried hard to lead a normal life, being a great husband and father.

It became impossible to hold down a job which left the financial burden to fall on Sha's shoulders. Being Mom, the bread winner and caregiver is a lot for any one person to handle. But Sha stepped up to the plate and has been doing an amazing job.

After a heart attack/bypass and complete kidney failure in 2021, Brian started dialysis and went on the kidney transplant list.

At that point, he was put on permanent disability. This was tough for the whole family. Brian became a stay at home Dad, cook and chauffeur all while doing dialysis 3 times a week. Even after being completely drained from dialysis, Brian stayed true to his new job as stay at home dad. We are all so proud of him!

Without warning, Grant was taken from us way too soon. Sha did one of the hardest things to do. She reached out to Grant’s brother, Glenn, regarding Grant’s donor status. What a tough conversation, Glenn made it very easy for her by being compassionate and understanding.

A couple days later we found out Brian is a match to receive Grant’s kidney. Brian is now at UCI awaiting surgery. We will all be forever grateful to Grant, along with Veronica and Glenn for being so instrumental in setting this up.

Our hearts are with Veronica, Gavin and Garrett at this difficult time.

Shalene will be taking off work for as long as needed to take care of Brian and the girls. Donations collected will be used for medical bills and day to day expenses. This will allow Shalene to focus on family and not worry about finances.

I will keep you updated as things unfold.