Man of the Hour

“I want to thank everyone for coming out today. We’ve been blessed with incredible support, from all of you. These kind of events don’t work, if not for you. We knew today was going to be more difficult than usual. What better way then to spend today with family and friends and raise money for a great cause.
I also want to thank everyone that donated. We have some amazing raffle baskets and silent auction items. Please make sure you help support these businesses in the future. I also want to thank Michele for organizing and putting this to together. You did an unbelievable job.
Shane would have turned two today. He may have lost the fight but he won the battle. His smile and laughter still lives on. We’d give anything to have him back, but unfortunately life doesn’t work that way . He made us proud, I hope we make him proud. Days when it’s a struggle to get out of bed, a struggle to get going, I picture Shane patting me on the arm and pointing with a grunt to get me going, just like he did to Chase at the soccer game. He truly brought us so much happiness. Although his time on this planet was short, his impact was immense. Even in his last days, we were crying and Shane was there to comfort us, patting Michele on the face telling her it’s going to be ok. A few days later we were greeted by a Cardinal right outside our window.
I know he’s with us in spirit. He’ll never be forgotten. We’ll move on, with Shane by our side and in our hearts. His legacy will live on, through each and every one of us. Through our actions and through his foundation we’ll make a difference.
The foundation’s focus is going to be in three areas. I’ll keep this brief but I want you to know and understand where the money will be going. I think that’s important, which is why we are involved.

1) Awareness – Building awareness is crucial for change. For those in business, it’s marketing spend. So many people don’t realize how many children are affected with cancer each year. Cancer doesn’t discriminate. Every day there’s a new family finding out that their world’s been turned upside down. Childhood cancer research is the least funded of all the cancer research. Only the billions of government dollars that goes to cancer reserach, on 4% goes towards childhood cancer research. Which leads me into the next area.

2) Funding research. Our role as a foundation is going to be a direct link to rare cancer research. Doctors have been treating Rhabdo and many other rare cancers the same way for the last 30+ years. This has to change.  All proceeds raised today are going to help fund research at the CCTDI. In addition, Shane’s Future Days is going to match the proceeds raised.

3) Finally, we want to be able to help a family or families going through the same thing we went through. As I stated earlier, we were blessed with a ton of support. Not every family is as lucky as we were. We want to help pay it forward.

Thanks again for attending. We greatly appreciate it. Thanks again to the donors. And enjoy yourself. This is a celebration of Shane’s life. Shane lived life to the fullest. We can all take a page from his actions.”