This is the story of my beautiful niece Shannon and her awesome husband Robert. I’m going to do my best to tell you their heartbreaking story.

Shannon and Robert have three children, who are affected by this as much as they are, Evan, 20, Paiton, 19, and Adrianna, 16.

In July of 2024, Robert was experiencing strength problems and had some lower back pain. In November of the same year, and still experiencing the same issues, he decided to get things checked out.

In November of 2024, Robert went to the hospital with nerve and muscle issues. They gave him some pain meds and sent him on his way. At this same time, my niece, Shannon, felt a lump in her left breast, it was not hurting, but still a little concerning.

In December of 2024, Robert was experiencing twitches and muscle spasms in his limbs. At this same time, Shannon went for a mammogram but was told because she had a lump in her breast, they probably needed to do an ultrasound instead.

In January of 2025, Shannon had an ultrasound and biopsy on her breast. It came back positive for breast cancer. It was invasive ductal carcinoma, Stage 2. She took a genetics test that, thank God, came back negative. At this same time, Robert was undergoing MRI and nerve conduction testing for his condition.

In March of 2025, Shannon had a double mastectomy. During her surgery, they found three lymph nodes to be positive for cancer, so they removed those plus one other. From there, she endured 28 days of radiation consecutively, Monday thru Friday, with no days off. Since they believe this is a hormone-caused cancer, she is currently taking meds to push her into menopause and kill off her ovaries.

In April of 2025, Robert’s doctor thought that he may have carpel tunnel syndrome, but could not say so conclusively, and referred him to a doctor at Washington University in St Louis. After conducting multiple tests, including EKGs, CT scans, multiple blood tests, EMG tests, etc., they said it could be ALS. At this time, Robert went to St. Louis University Hospital to pursue more testing and conclusiveness of this diagnosis.

In May of 2025, our worst fears came true as they confirmed Robert’s diagnosis of ALS. This is a horrible disease that not only affects the person afflicted, but all of the people that love him. To this date, there is no cure. All they can do is try to keep you as comfortable as possible and let you live your best life.

In October of 2025, Robert lost his job with his HVAC company because he wasn’t able to perform the duties that he normally performed and will lose his insurance. His insurance will end entirely in April of 2026.

Shannon is actively working as a teacher at a day care facility, but as you might concur, it will not meet the demands of all of the bills and struggles that they will have in the future.

Shannon will have reconstructive breast surgery, where they take tissue from the lower abdomen and transfer it to the breasts in January of 2026, which can last up to last up to 13 hours. After this, she will be recuperating for approximately two months with no pay coming in from her job.

In conclusion, if you are in a position to give, please do. Every dollar will matter for this family. If you are not in a position to give, please pray for this family or send good vibes their way. They deserve it. The money raised will strictly go for medical supplies, medical bills, and living expenses.

Thank you so much for reading their story, and please consider making a donation to Shannon and Robert’s cause. God bless!