Shane Strong

Hi! My name is Shawn Cole. My youngest brother Shad and I are posting this fund raiser for our brother Shane Cole.

Shane Cole is a 50 year old man living in Madison county, Illinois. He is a husband, father, and a good friend. Shane is known to drop whatever he's doing at a moments notice to help friends or family. Shane attended Wood River-East Alton schools from grade school until moving with his family to Bunker Hill, Illinois during his sophomore year. Shane loves to work with his hands, so it was natural for him to become a mechanic and welder. Shane's love for hard work is just as strong for his love for people, animals, and life in general.

A few weeks ago, terrible headaches prompted Shane to get checked out at the ER. At the hospital, medical staff discovered an avocado-size mass in Shane’s brain. Shane underwent surgery to successfuly remove much of the mass, which was identified as metastatic cancer. Following the surgery, a PET scan revealed that he has stage 4 cancer in both lungs, his liver, kidney, pancreas, as well as a few smaller lesions on his brain. Shane has completed radiation treatment and will soon begin immunotherapy to combat the cancer that has spread throughout his body.

Unfortunately, life just doesn’t stop for cancer. 

⁃ Shane is the family’s primary breadwinner, but he won’t be able to drive or work for at least six months. 

⁃ Shane has an appointment for Social Security Disability at the end of March, but SSD is notoriously difficult to work with and slow to act.

⁃ Shane’s wife, Melissa, is also caretaker to her aging father — who requires constant care — in their home. 

⁃ Bills are piling up as the family attempts to subsist on only Melissa’s income with the now added expense of cancer treatment.

⁃ Shane and Melissa's car was recently totaled in a separate accident, but the insurance payout had to be used to cover past due bills. The other family vehicle desperately needs repairs.

⁃ Shane has to travel an hour and a half round trip for each appointment and treatment.

Please share what you can to support the Cole family during this incredibly difficult time. Everything and anything helps!