Support Shawn's Long-Term Survival

A friend of ours is badly hurt. Shawn Lawrence is no stranger to our acting community. Talented, charming, and giving are three words that jump to mind when most people think of Shawn. He helped many of his fellow actors with his tireless work as an ACTRA ombudsman for 15 years.

Late last year, Shawn had a bad fall that led to hip replacement surgery. Should be pretty straight forward. It wasn't.

He went home after his in-hospital rehab and recovery. He entered his apartment, took a few steps, and crashed to the floor. You can't keep a good man down, so he promptly stood up. And hit the floor again. And again. And again.

A friend was with him and rushed him back to the hospital. That was many months ago. It feels like a lifetime to Shawn. He has been tested and retested. To date, there is no definitive diagnosis. But the doctors believe he has Parkinson's.

Whatever the illness, it has greatly diminished his quality of life. He is confined to a wheelchair. For how long? The docs speculate that he may never walk again. He spends his days in Bridgepoint Hospital, reading, bolstering his spirit and humor, and hoping to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Anyone who knows Shawn, knows that he is energetic, creative, warm, and playful. Those qualities made him a very active man. Now, his loss of mobility keeps him confined to a wheelchair and a hospital room. It's quite a blow to his sense of dignity.

One of the scariest things he's facing is the fact that he can no longer live in his two-level apartment. A place he's lived in for decades. A very affordable place he cherishes. Right now, steps are under way to get him government-subsidized assisted living. That will be great when it happens. But it does entail many additional expenses.

I'm reaching out to all of you who know him to help me put the warm smile you see in his photo back on Shawn's face. We can do that by making sure he has a future worth living.

I invite you to embrace the BHAG I've created for this GoGundMe campaign. Our Big Hairy Audacious Goal is $100,000 to help Shawn transition to a totally new life with dignity and grace. That transition will include many things. Money for a new wheelchair, furniture, medical accessories not covered by OHIP, nutritious food, just to name a few. We're talking 2023 in Toronto, where every breath and step we take costs money.

Thank you in advance for rallying behind a friend who deserves all the support he can get.