Support Shawn Eberly's Fight Against Liver Cancer

My name is Jenn and I am starting this Go Fund Me page to benefit my cousin, Shawn Eberly, and his family, in an effort to support them in his battle against stage 4 liver cancer.

For those that don’t know Shawn: He is 53 years old and an avid Steelers fan. He recently celebrated his 16th wedding anniversary to his lovely wife, Heather. He has 4 children, Alexis (31), Morgan (28), Lillie (15) and Cody (8). He has 2 granddaughters, Priscilla (6) and Taelyn (3). He is also a loved son, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend. He is the family’s sole provider and has worked for Napa Auto Care Center Motor World in Wilkes-Barre, PA for the last 16-17 years. Unfortunately, Heather is unable to work given their youngest son’s medical issues which require her to be available for him. Shawn, Heather and their 2 youngest children reside in Slatington, PA with Heather’s father, whom she also helps to care for.

On July 30 of last year, Shawn went to his local emergency room with shoulder pain. X-rays were taken, and unfortunately, the diagnosis was not what they expected. He was diagnosed with Stage 3 liver cancer and cirrhosis. The initial prognosis they were given was good. Shawn underwent two procedures to implant radioactive microspheres in his liver with the hopes of destroying the cancer cells. Unfortunately, this only helped to shrink one of the four tumors in his liver. He then began immunotherapy on December 23 of last year. Unfortunately, he had a setback once again when he had a severe reaction to one of the medications and has also been unable to continue with that treatment due to various complications, including high bilirubin levels from the liver cirrhosis. In July of this year, his initial oncologist informed the family that his cancer is now at a stage 4 and they were unable to continue treatment and had no further treatment options. Shawn elected hospice care. After further consideration, he and his family decided to get a second opinion at Fox Chase Cancer Center. He also went to see a new liver specialist. The family was provided some hope in that if they can get the side effects of the liver cirrhosis under control, they will resume immunotherapy at Temple Hospital in Philadelphia. However, Shawn continues to have some pretty serious side effects. He recently had 17 L of fluid (37 pounds) drained from his abdomen. He is now walking with a walker and has difficulty speaking. He continues to work, but the family is unsure how much longer he will be able to continue.

I asked Shawn‘s sister and his two oldest daughters to tell me what they want people to know about Shawn. This is what they shared- he is a family man who would go to the ends of the Earth for the people he loves. He is a hard worker and an excellent provider. He has a great sense of humor, loves a good joke, and loves to laugh and make others laugh. He loves spending time with and playing games with his family. He loves a good comedy movie with Animal House and National Lampoon‘s Christmas Vacation being favorites.

I am hoping that through this Go Fund Me account, friends and family can help support Shawn and Heather through this difficult time by easing the financial stress that comes along with this devastating diagnosis. All funds collected will go directly to Shawn and Heather for medical expenses, travel expenses, supplementing lost wages, etc.

Sincerely,

Jenn Madeira, Shawn’s favorite cousin