Help the McGinnis family as Shawn battles cancer

Friends,

My name is Sheryl Martin and I am setting up this gofundme to support Shawn and Julie McGinnis.

A couple of months ago, Shawn began experiencing persistent backaches. He was diagnosed with diverticulitis and had surgery to correct it. Just when he thought he was in the clear, he received the terrible news that he has stage 4 prostate cancer.

Hearing this crushing news, Shawn's first thoughts were for his beloved wife Julie. Shawn and Julie found love when they met in October 2003.

In 2019, Julie had just embarked on a new career as a real estate agent when the unthinkable happened. While taking a shower before work, she had a devastating aneurysm.

Julie spent almost 5 months in the hospital before being discharged. The aneurysm left Julie both physically and mentally disabled. Julie's right leg is completely immobile. She is confined to a wheelchair or bed. She needs assistance to get out of bed, to use the bathroom, and to eat. Julie's memory is severely compromised. She has limited ability to communicate. She can indicate things like if she is thirsty or hot, but not much else. Julie cannot be alone. She requires someone to care for her 24/7.

Since her aneurysm, Shawn has juggled work and providing care for Julie. Shawn has a full-time caregiver to help Julie from 6 am - 2 pm and a sitter who stays with her from 2 pm until he gets home from work. The caregiver can change her, lift her in and out of bed, dispense medications, and transport her to medical appointments. The sitter keeps Julie company and provides snacks until Shawn gets home. Shawn spends his evenings and weekends doing all the cooking, cleaning and caring for Julie. Shawn currently spends more than $3,000 a month for Julie's caregiver and sitter.

With his diagnosis, Shawn needs to immediately begin chemotherapy. He is on short-term disability at work, which means he will only bring in a portion of his regular salary. Shawn expects that he will need to hire caregivers for Julie in the evenings and on the weekends. He expects to be sick from chemo and doesn't know if he will be able to pick up Julie and care for her without additional assistance. His costs for Julie's care can very easily exceed $5,000 a month.

Shawn is staying positive and determined to beat his cancer, but he needs our help! Please, if you can, contribute here so that Shawn can focus on his health. He and Julie need our support. I've set the goal amount to help defray the costs of Julie's care, and Shawn's medical bills while he is on leave from work. Thank you.