Together We Can Fight For Shawn
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In the 11 years that I have been with Shawn I have seen him give his time, dedication, money, heart, and soul to so many people . Shawn has selflessly donated his business, employees, his own time, and knowledge to many nonprofit charities ( National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, Fallen Soldiers, & Central Florida's largest Pitbull Rescue O.B.R.) along with youth organizations (Boy Scouts of America, Pop Warner Youth Football, & Ice Factory of Central Florida in Kissimmee) to name a few. He is one of the most caring people that I know. He has foregone his own needs to help others out, no matter if the end result was being taken advantage of, he will still give unconditionally.
He is a phenomenal father. Jumping right in and assuming the father role for our son Julian, never thinking twice about it. Always looking at Julian as his biological son and refusing to see it any other way. This alone makes him a very rare and special man.
In December of 2015 Shawn started to feel very weak and tired. We played this off as too much traveling for work and not enough rest. When the new year came the weakness never went away and some problems within his mouth developed. Sore gums and a little bleeding. We thought it was gingivitis. In February Shawn and Julian went away for some father and son fun, snowmobiling. When they came home Shawn had some very severe bruising all along the inside of his thighs, again we thought his age was catching up to him and he was over exerting himself. When March came Shawn thought his wisdom teeth were giving him problems and he got a very bad infection in his mouth. The dentist told us his wisdom teeth needed to be removed, but first this infection needed to dissipate. He recommended waiting 21 days before they be removed. Over those 21 days Shawn became very weak. He lost all color in his entire body, was unable to walk, and the bruising on his body was horrific. You could not touch him without a bruise forming and spreading.
We decided on Sunday April 10, 2016 to take him to urgent care. They ordered blood work stat, and within an hour we were on our way to Covenant Hospital in Saginaw where he was admitted right away through the emergency room. The following morning, April 11, 2016, we received the diagnosis of leukemia. Shawn has Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL). APL is a very rare form of leukemia that studies and reports show only six out of a million cases of leukemia reported are APL.
The news of being diagnosed with leukemia was absolutely devastating to Shawn and our entire family. No one ever expects superman to get sick. With the love and prayers of our family and friends we took the news and strived to push forward.
Shawn is receiving chemo everyday and soon will be facing his 30th day of chemo. We are very fortunate his stay at the hospital was just a little over two weeks and he is now doing daily outpatient chemo in Saginaw. This form of chemo, Arsenic Trioxide, calls for 30 days of treatment and 30 days off, this is all done case by case. With his I.V. Chemo coming to an end, Shawn will still battle this ugly disease for the next 2 years with various chemo treatments and medications.
Shawn is steadily improving with each round of chemo. The downfall of daily chemo is the weakness and constant tiredness, aching of his joints and bones, consistent headaches, extreme bloating and weight gain. You can see his progress as he battles this disease by joining and following his page, Shawn's Progress on Facebook.
With all this going on Shawn has not been able to work and is not foreseen to go back to work for some time. The financial burden our family is facing is indescribable. The mounting medical bills and medications that the insurance doesn't cover, the daily two hour drive to chemo, and trying to keep some normalcy for our son is taking a toll on our household finances.
With this Go Fund Me account I'm hoping all our friends, family, and acquaintances will show Shawn the kindness and support he has given to so many over the years. Any donation or resource information to help Shawn and our family is truly appreciated. Our family will be forever grateful for your generosity, prayers, and kindness.
Gracefully Yours,
Jennifer Rienas
He is a phenomenal father. Jumping right in and assuming the father role for our son Julian, never thinking twice about it. Always looking at Julian as his biological son and refusing to see it any other way. This alone makes him a very rare and special man.
In December of 2015 Shawn started to feel very weak and tired. We played this off as too much traveling for work and not enough rest. When the new year came the weakness never went away and some problems within his mouth developed. Sore gums and a little bleeding. We thought it was gingivitis. In February Shawn and Julian went away for some father and son fun, snowmobiling. When they came home Shawn had some very severe bruising all along the inside of his thighs, again we thought his age was catching up to him and he was over exerting himself. When March came Shawn thought his wisdom teeth were giving him problems and he got a very bad infection in his mouth. The dentist told us his wisdom teeth needed to be removed, but first this infection needed to dissipate. He recommended waiting 21 days before they be removed. Over those 21 days Shawn became very weak. He lost all color in his entire body, was unable to walk, and the bruising on his body was horrific. You could not touch him without a bruise forming and spreading.
We decided on Sunday April 10, 2016 to take him to urgent care. They ordered blood work stat, and within an hour we were on our way to Covenant Hospital in Saginaw where he was admitted right away through the emergency room. The following morning, April 11, 2016, we received the diagnosis of leukemia. Shawn has Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL). APL is a very rare form of leukemia that studies and reports show only six out of a million cases of leukemia reported are APL.
The news of being diagnosed with leukemia was absolutely devastating to Shawn and our entire family. No one ever expects superman to get sick. With the love and prayers of our family and friends we took the news and strived to push forward.
Shawn is receiving chemo everyday and soon will be facing his 30th day of chemo. We are very fortunate his stay at the hospital was just a little over two weeks and he is now doing daily outpatient chemo in Saginaw. This form of chemo, Arsenic Trioxide, calls for 30 days of treatment and 30 days off, this is all done case by case. With his I.V. Chemo coming to an end, Shawn will still battle this ugly disease for the next 2 years with various chemo treatments and medications.
Shawn is steadily improving with each round of chemo. The downfall of daily chemo is the weakness and constant tiredness, aching of his joints and bones, consistent headaches, extreme bloating and weight gain. You can see his progress as he battles this disease by joining and following his page, Shawn's Progress on Facebook.
With all this going on Shawn has not been able to work and is not foreseen to go back to work for some time. The financial burden our family is facing is indescribable. The mounting medical bills and medications that the insurance doesn't cover, the daily two hour drive to chemo, and trying to keep some normalcy for our son is taking a toll on our household finances.
With this Go Fund Me account I'm hoping all our friends, family, and acquaintances will show Shawn the kindness and support he has given to so many over the years. Any donation or resource information to help Shawn and our family is truly appreciated. Our family will be forever grateful for your generosity, prayers, and kindness.
Gracefully Yours,
Jennifer Rienas
Organizer and beneficiary
Shawn Rienas
Organizer
Caro, MI
Pennie Rienas
Beneficiary