Help the McClanes as Jim McClane fights cancer

As a close friend of Kerry McClane, I write to you today to ask for your support for the McClane family.

On November 8th, after a blood test, Dr. James McClane (Jim) was diagnosed with AML, an aggressive form of Leukemia, and immediately rushed to Yale to undergo in-patient chemotherapy. Jim will be hospitalized for the foreseeable future, and the plan is for on-going in-patient chemotherapy treatments for about 4-5 months.

Jim is a colorectal surgeon at Norwalk Hospital. He finished his fellowship in 2001 and has been practicing ever since. Jim is truly beloved by patients, and coworkers alike for his vast expertise, bedside manner and professionalism. He is a past recipient of the prestigious Magida Award for notable and compassionate care and has been honored as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor in the New York Metro Area from 2014 to 2021.Jim is no stranger to cancer, and successfully treats patients who are suffering from cancer on a daily basis. Jim is a Duke graduate, and attended Cornell Medical College.

While Jim is an extremely dedicated, hard worker, he always makes time for his family. You’ll often see him driving home from a 12 hour shift and immediately driving one of his children to sports, or attending a community function. Jim is also someone who has taken many calls from friends seeking ‘after hours’ medical advice. While many of us wouldn’t take these calls, Jim’s been known to entertain every call he receives - and you wouldn’t expect anything less, as to know the McClane family is to love them.

Jim’s wife, Kerry McClane is a registered nurse, working per diem at Stamford Hospital. Kerry is a graduate of Fairfield University, as was her father, and stayed in Fairfield to raise her family. She is extremely active at St Pius X church (the whole family is), volunteer organizations in town, including SASO, and maybe more importantly, is the friend you call first if you are in a bind, as like Jim, she is there to lend a helping hand to so many.

The McClane boys, Jack (16) and Ryan (14), both attend FLHS. They are incredible students, Jack is a junior, getting ready to apply for colleges, and plays both high school and club lacrosse. He participated in the Greenfield Hill Church ASP service project last year. Ryan is a freshman who had a successful freshman football season and is looking forward to playing basketball and lacrosse this year. Both boys volunteer at Wakeman Boys and Girl's Club, and SASO. They are no strangers to giving their time and getting involved in our community.

As you can imagine, this is an extremely challenging time for the McClane family, and there are many unknowns ahead. Jim will be out of work for the foreseeable future, and as Kerry works per diem, FMLA is not available to her. In addition, the out of pocket medical expenses to treat this disease are unknown. While the family has a difficult time asking for, and accepting help, donations would ease some of the impending financial stress for a family that has done so much for us all.