Sean Stakelum Leukemia Fund

The family and friends of Sean and Rebecca Stakelum have created this fund to raise money to help Sean who at 32 years of age, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) on June 6th 2019.


Sean's Story

Up until June of this year, Sean was living his life to the fullest and enjoying every minute of it. Sean was born in Holycross, Co Tipperary.  In 2014 he surprised us all, when he made the decision to follow his heart and relocate to Clinton, Connecticut, over 3,000 miles away. He had met the love of his life Rebecca Wilcox online and he was determined to create a future with her. For those who know Sean, you'll understand very well once his mind's made up he's not for changing it! It’s one of the many wonderful things about our Sean, who we all love and miss. 

Sean and Rebecca

Sean and Rebecca married on September 16th 2015. Sean, Rebecca and her son Kaleb, became a family. One year later they bought their first home together, and in 2018 their family grew with the arrival of little Finnley. Life was great. 
                                                                      Sean, Rebecca and Kaleb

In June 2019 Sean began to experience minor health issues, small things at first -he lacked energy, finding it increasingly difficult to occupy a busy one year old in the evenings after work. He noticed that he bruised easily and small cuts would take a long time to heal.  At Rebecca's insistance Sean scheduled an appointment with his doctor who upon hearing his symptoms insisted on seeing him that day. Blood samples were taken, the following day at work Sean received a call to pack a bag and head straight to the hospital.

Sean was taken to the emergency room at Yale New Haven Hospital where he received a diagnosis. ACUTE  MYELOID LEUKEMIA or AML, a blood cancer. 
                                         
 In Sean's own words..............”It was a heart breaking moment in my life. I had convinced myself the diagnosis would not be cancer, surely it couldn't be cancer, there was no history of it on either side of my family, I don't smoke, I don't work with dangerous chemicals, surely it can't be cancer. With no shame I tell you now I cried as soon as the doctor left my room and that reality sunk in."

ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA is a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow with excess immature white blood cells. AML progresses rapidly, with myeloid cells interfering with the production of normal white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. Treatment depends on the stage; including chemotherapy, other drug therapy, and bone marrow transplant. 

 Sean has been unable to work or drive since his diagnosis. This Christmas he is facing into his 5th round of chemo. Between each admission he is required to travel to and from hospital for regular blood transfusions and appointments. 

Sean considers himself to be among the lucky. His insurance coverage has been good to him. We all know too well the stories of those buried in medical debt. He has been able to receive a reduced income up until now but even so debts have gradually increased. There are numerous additional expenses that have arisen outside of what his insurance will cover. Rebecca is working full time and their youngest son requires day care services 5 days a week.  Sean’s treatments render him prone to dangerous infections including neutropenic fevers and therefore unable to provide full care for Finnley.                                                             
Finnley
                                                                                             Sean has never been a person who is comfortable to ask others for aid but things are getting tough. As his treatment passes the 6 month mark, Seans income will be further reduced. The day to day expenses of raising a young family while going through such a debilitating illness are proving very difficult and the family really need your financial support to help them through this difficult period. 

For family and friends based in Ireland, distance makes things harder. We are unable to consistently provide that much needed support on the ground. By creating this fund, it's our intention to provide help and support for Sean and his family in their time of need.

We would be  grateful for any amount you are willing to donate.

Ways you can help

1. Please donate.

2. Please share this link on your social media.

3. For anyone based in the Clinton area, help with lifts to and from the hospital would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you