Shawns Story

In 1980, Dennis and Mary Ann Roberts welcomed the birth of the first of their two sons, Shawn Roberts. The new parents were naturally thrilled and overjoyed; but

unfortunately, their initial excitement was suddenly replaced with feelings of uncertainty,

worry, and anxiety. The doctors had informed Dennis and Mary Ann that their first child,

Shawn, had been born with congenital kidney disease. The prognosis was devastating.

Shawn was given 3-6 months to live! But somehow, miraculously, Shawn survived. At three years old, Shawn was able to undergo the first of three transplant surgeries he

would have. Shawn's Dad, Dennis, donated the first kidney. Surgery was successful and life at the Roberts' house was pretty much as normal as things could be.

In 1999, however, Shawn needed another transplant. This time, Shawn received one of his Mom's kidneys. Again, surgery was successful. Up to this point in his life, Shawn lived pretty much as anyone his age and the Roberts family continued to be as

robust as always. Although their lives included a constant stream of doctors' visits, hospital stays, various treatments, and many trips to the emergency room, that was their "normal" and they never brought this anywhere other than their home. As close

friends of Dennis, we would ask him, now and then, how Shawn was doing, or how things ni general were going, and Dennis would only say that they were managing, one day at a time. Sometimes, Dennis would politely add that we all have problems to deal with and that he didn't see any sense in depressing anyone else with his.

In 2010, Shawn needed, yet, another transplant. This was to be Shawn's final transplant; his Aunt Cheryl, was the donor. But, tragically, the surgery was fraught with complications from the start, and Shawn eventually lost the kidney. Life as Shawn knew it, drastically changed. Shawn's survival was now dependent on ful time dialysis. Soon thereafter, Shawn was dealt another setback when he developed Reactive Arthritis.

Now, in addition to all that he had been through, Shawn had to endure crippling pain, swollen joints, and frequent high fevers.

Despite al of the setbacks they had experienced, Shawn and his family continued to live life as best they could. Holidays were celebrated, frequent gatherings were held, and the Roberts family continued to be at the center of good humor and

spirit. Dennis' pregame Thanksgiving breakfasts with "the boys" continued, as did card games, Friday "Knights", making fresh tomato sauce, quick excursions to the Cape,

.life went on.

However, in June of this year, tragedy struck once again. An abscess had developed on Shawn's colon and subsequent surgeries required a colostomy. Further complications evolved from the surgeries. One was sepsis, which nearly took Shawn's life, twice, during his 43 days in the hospital. As a result of his hospitalization, Shawn is totally immobile. His muscles have completely atrophied and he is extremely weak and

fragile. Shawn is in need of 24 hour care.

Kelly, Shawn's girlfriend of nearly ten years, has been there to take care of him. Somehow, she has managed to balance work and taking care of Shawn. But now, given Shawn's additional limitations, Kely has had to quit work ni order to take ful time care

Shawn's Story

of him. This includes tending to his wounds, providing ostomy care and dialysis, among a myriad of other responsibilities. Sure, Shawn gets PT, OT, and a visiting nurse, but all

of this pales ni comparison to his needs. More and more bills are going unpaid, and Kelly's car is about to be repossessed. Shawn's insurance only provides for home health aide two hours a week. Clearly, they need help.

Even as life long friends of Dennis and Mary Ann, wereally only knew little of Shawn's daily battle to live. We suspected things were bad, but we were not prepared for what we eventually learned. This past weekend, we firmly pressed Dennis to share as much as he felt comfortable with telling us. Finally, we heard Shawn's story. As friends, we were devastated by the harsh realities of the news. It was at that point, we said to Dennis that enough is enough and that there had to be a way to help. Simply put, they cannot exist like this any longer. So, here we are, setting up a GoFundMe for Shawn and his family. Shawn is at another critical juncture in his life, but this time we are here to try to make a difference. With fingers crossed and hopes abound, we are asking all of you for your prayers and support. We ask that you share our GoFundMe campaign on

your social media. As we approach the holiday season and reflect upon our own lives and those of our family and loved ones, perhaps in the spirit of the season you can find ti in your heart to make a monetary donation to Shawn and his family. We are well aware that these are challenging times for almost everyone. fI you are not financially able to contribute monetarily, we fully understand, and hope that you wil offer your prayers. No matter what happens, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for allowing us to share Shawn's story.

"When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed."

Maya Angelou