Help give our hero a fighting chance

Hi everybody. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I’m Doreen and the handsome guy in the photo is my phenomenal husband of 18 years, Shawn McLean. 

Who?
Shawn is a perpetual ‘nice guy’. The kind of person who thinks of others first. All the time. Need a flat tire changed in the pouring rain?  “No thanks needed, buddy. Glad I could be here to help”. Short on cash and need a loan? “ No worries, brother. We’ve all been there”.  Over 65 and can’t reach an item on the top shelf at the grocery store? In addition to getting your can of soup off the top shelf,  Shawn will assist you with putting your entire purchase on the conveyor belt, walk you out and load your groceries into your car, “ My pleasure miss. I hope someday someone will do the same for me”. 

When he’s not performing random acts of kindness, Shawn is a Correctional Officer with the County Sheriff’s Department. Shawn is the guy donning a stab proof vest for 12 hours per shift, dealing with people and situations that the rest of us only see on TV programs and in YouTube videos, so that our community can sleep safe at night.

As his coworkers (and many inmates) will attest to, Shawn works an insane amount of hours. Due to my misguided sense of humor, I often joke with people that my husband has spent more time in jail than with his family. It is however, a true statement. Shawn volunteers to work for every shift he is not scheduled for and the only time he does not is when he has reached the maximum amount of time allowed. Shawn is still attempting to work, despite his rapidly declining health. 


These incredible fellows are our two sons. Our first born and our youngest. 

Our 17 year old is currently a Senior in high school. Years of hard work and determination paid off and he will be attending the University of South Carolina in Columbia in the fall. There are not enough words in a thesaurus to convey how proud of him we are. 

The little one just turned 3. He is non verbal due to severe Autism, but we are his voice and he is our hearts. He also has been diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder and Global Developmental Delay. He requires 24 hour a day care. He currently receives ABA therapy, Speech Therapy, Early Interventionist play therapy and Occupational and Equine therapy.


These beautiful drama queens are our girls. 

Our 14 year old is Freshman in high school. She is involved with the Special Olympics, the Earth club and is dedicated to ending the use of plastics due to the negative impact on the environment.

Our 10 year old is in the 5th grade. For the past two years she has been homeschooled. I am her full time learning coach. She helps cares for her younger brother and volunteers at the therapeutic horse riding center. 

We we are the reasons Shawn fights so hard. We are who he provides for. We are who he struggles and sacrifices for. He is a worrier and a warrior. 

He is our everything. Our Daddy Bear. Our hero. 



What?
Shawn began experiencing left thigh pain in January. He contributed it to old age, a pulled muscle, the arthritis he began taking medicine for earlier in the year. You know how it is.

By the end of February he had surgery at MUSC in Charleston, SC to remove a tumor they found on his femur that had destroyed enough of the bone that he was at risk  of breaking the bone at any minute. They re enforced his femur, hip socket and knee with a rod and hardware. The biopsy result came back as melanoma. A PET scan showed more. 

In less than 2 months what we thought was a pulled muscle became Stage IV malignant melanoma with metastasis to lung, liver, bone and adrenal glands.

It happened that fast.

Shawn is a patient at Hollings Cancer Treatment Center in Charleston, SC now. Surgery is not an option for any of the other tumors because of where they are located. The goal is to shrink them enough to keep buying time. 

There’s never enough time. 


Why?
I’ve looked at other Go Fund Me pages and seeing how many people are struggling with cancer and its’ effects is heartbreaking. I keep asking myself why people should help us. I don’t have an answer. I just know we need help. 

We we are fortunate to have health insurance that has covered some of his treatment costs. When you’re a ‘paycheck to paycheck ‘ family of six, the loss of time from work means smaller paychecks. Office visits, medication refills, deductibles, co pays, travel expenses for treatment (we’re a one car family and in addition to gas, are currently renting a car for him to drive two hours one way to  get to his oncology and chemo appointments). In addition to the ‘regular’ cost of just living. 
We’ve had the conversation already about what happens when we can’t afford to get him to his chemo appointments, can’t pay bills, can’t give our son what he needs to go to college. The reality is-that we’re already there. 

It is is gut wrenching to watch someone you adore suffer. It is also jaw dropping to watch him persevere. 

Heroes make the world a better place. They dedicate their lives to others to helping others. Their hearts are measured by how loved they are.
Heroes are brave for just a little longer. That’s all I want from our hero. 

Please help support Shawn’s fight against cancer. 
Be a hero too. 
Thank you bunches.