Help Support Shelby's Sunshine

When the ones we love are facing the darkest storm, it takes the love and support of their community to bring the sunshine that creates a break in the storm. Our dear friend Shelby, a previous cancer survivor, was recently told that her cancer has returned. 

Last month, while experiencing severe pain in what she thought was kidney stones, Shelby went to the hospital. As soon as the doctors told her that her kidneys were clear, she knew. She knew the cancer had returned. What Shelby did not know was that it came back with a vengeance, now stage 4, spreading to her liver, lungs, brain, hip, and tailbone.

For those who do not know Shelby, faith and family are the cornerstones of who she is and how she lives her life. Everything she does is out of the love of her family and God. A wife to Greg Burnett for the last 13 years, a mother of three to Blake, 9; Wyatt, 3; Bristol, 2 and step mother to Taylor, 26; and Madison, 19. We cannot forget to include the menagerie of animals that are also her babies!  

When we approached Shelby about setting up a gofundme for her, her immediate response was that of feeling blessed that old friends still thought of her and loved her, but also that it felt selfish. Shelby is the person who will fight to the ends of the earth to ensure her loved ones and the people she cares about are taken care of and get what they need, but like most selfless people, she forgets that she deserves the same!

From the outpouring of love and support via facebook comments it is clear that how we remember Shelby from high school has not changed, which is a woman who is incredibly loving and nurturing. Always there for whomever needs her, always has a hug, or smile to give you, the life of the party, and an infectious spirit.

She is currently undergoing radiation and her treatment plan will evolve as she continues to be treated. Most people know someone who has been affected by cancer and know the toll the treatment and the disease takes on the body, mind, soul, and finances. When Danielle, Heather, and myself saw Shelby’s post on facebook where she stated her cancer had returned, we were devastated for our old friend, even more so now that we are all mothers ourselves. Like most people do for those we care about, we offered our sympathies, but the three of us felt like we could do more, that we wanted to do more, and that Shelby and her family need more. 

We hope by creating this gofundme, we took the first step in creating a chain reaction of people who may have also wanted to do more, but didn't know how to take the first step. We hope that the community of friends and family who reached out to share their love and prayers, will in turn, take the next step and donate. Even a dollar donated can add up quickly when enough people donate. You will be giving peace of mind to Shebly that she won’t have to worry about medical and household bills, that if she needs her husband to stay home to help take care of her and the kids, he will be able to, that they can try and keep up with their homestead lifestyle, or if they just need to do something fun to get a break from it all, they can afford to do that too. 

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.”
Proverbs 3:27 ESV