New podcast episode - Stage 4 Colon Cancer at 42: Our Family’s Story

Oct 9

Co-Parenting With My Ex, Part 2: Shawn’s Stage 4 Diagnosis

If you listened to Part 1, you know Shawn’s story and mine are tangled together in the best and hardest ways. He’s my ex, the father of our daughter, and one of my closest friends. In Part 2, we sat back down to talk about the chapter neither of us saw coming.

How it started

Early this summer, Shawn began waking up in the middle of the night feeling warm and needing to throw up. Then it started happening in the mornings too. The moment that really scared me was hearing that carrying groceries into his apartment took him the rest of the day to recover. This is a man who has worked construction and done hard labor his whole adult life.

His new doctor ordered a CT, but they couldn’t find a vein and had to reschedule. Things got worse, and he ended up in the ER, where they finally ran the scan. We were all hoping it was a gallbladder issue. It wasn’t. A few days later he was admitted to Baylor Scott & White, where he stayed for 24 days and was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer that has spread to his liver.

Body, mind, and spirit

The plan right now is aggressive chemo, then surgery, and possibly more chemo after. Alongside his medical care, Shawn has been meditating every morning and listening to healing and affirmation meditations at night. I truly believe healing happens when we care for all of it... body, mind, and spirit.

Telling our daughter

This was the hardest part. She’s seven, and she’s smart. She knew her dad had been sick. On our second hospital visit, we stopped in the chapel and she said a prayer asking God to make her dad healthy again, and that she hoped he didn’t have cancer. That opened the door for us to gently tell her the truth, and that his doctors have a plan. We reminded her that she can ask us anything, that she is safe, and that she is so loved.

Held Together Art

Shawn has leaned hard into his creativity these last few years, and now he’s turning it into Held Together Art, a visual diary of what it’s like to go through this as a 42-year-old dad. It’s also a way to help with bills while he can’t work. Anyone who donates any amount will receive something from him as a thank you.

How you can help

Donate to Shawn’s GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/62093b7a3
Follow Shawn’s art on Instagram: @heldtogether.art https://www.instagram.com/heldtogether.art/
Follow on TikTok: @heldtogether.art https://www.tiktok.com/@heldtogether.art
Donor thank-you art details: [COMING SOON]
Meditations mentioned in this episode: Sleep hypnosis one we love Progressive Hypnosis by Helen Ryan https://open.spotify.com/show/1DlhurS0ZB30rDx3sW9YjE?si=4bfe80b036844026
Joe Dispenza's book You Are The Placebo Spotify audiobook: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TUGkRDokACAv50kGbKAj7?si=74b1fe56a61947df
You Are The Placebo on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4zqXeIk
Know of grants, foundations, or aid programs that help with cancer treatment or living expenses? Drop them in the comments or send us a message
Missed Part 1? Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t3nCa7H_ao
This episode is sponsored by LW Vintage Accessories on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LWVintageAccessories
And please, talk to your doctor about getting screened. Colon cancer is showing up in younger people more and more.