Support Theresa Shaffer After The Loss of Demian Shaffer

My stepfather Demian Shaffer was one of the kindest, bravest, most intelligent men I have ever met. Being there for me for over half of my life, Demian taught me life lessons that I will not only cherish but continue to teach to my children one day, carrying on his story and his legacy. Demian passed away on his birthday this year, January 6th, 2025, after fighting a long and hard two weeks in the ICU. Sadly, Demian was suffering a mental health crisis that despite extensive outpatient care, he could no longer carry the weight of his pain and tragically took his own life the evening of December 26th, 2024. Despite immediate medical attention and countless neurological tests conducted by the best doctors at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, he was concluded to have zero brain function except for lower brain stem activity due to an extended period of oxygen deprivation to the brain. Despite not having the ability to regain consciousness, he was surrounded by his loved ones such as his wife, his sister and his children in his final days in the ICU at Jefferson. As his family, we came to the decision to remove him from life support on his birthday, where he later passed peacefully and became the ultimate gift giver through organ donation. He is survived by his wife, two sisters, two children, and four step-children.

His loving wife, my mother Theresa Shaffer, has suffered tremendously through the loss of her beloved. Meeting in high school, my mother knew Demian for the majority of her life. After following separate paths, they reconnected later in life only to find the most beautiful love in one another, dating for a few years before marrying on April 3rd, 2021. When they first reconnected, I had just started middle school. Demian came into my life when I was battling my own mental health issues at a young age and filled an integral father role with compassion and love that greatly influenced my adolescence and young adulthood. I witnessed first hand a beautiful love between my mom and Demian, and I have also seen first hand the pain my mother has went through these last few months. Despite holding on to every minute thinking her love would be strong enough to wake him up, she ultimately had to decide that their love was strong enough to let him go. She now faces the hardships of grief and the unknowns of living without the love of her life.

I ask that if you have the ability to do so, please support Theresa Shaffer with a donation or by sharing this page as she tries to navigate this scary and unpredictable chapter of her life. If you cannot donate, I implore you to at least check in on your loved ones, because you never may know who needs mental health assistance the most. Often the happiest of people are those who are struggling on the inside.

Thank you for your time,

Tyler Whartenby