R.I.P. Baby Shane Metzgar

One of the great things about having my own blog is the ability to share and engage with my readers in a number of relatable ways. Mostly, it’s through a casual — some may say snarky — discussion of trending legal issues affecting the workplace.

But, every once in while, I like that we can take a different path together and share personal stories. Whether fueled with joy or sorrow, these “off-topic” posts are what make this forum special.

Today, I want to share with you an update on a special little boy: Shane Metzgar.

Last year, at about this time, I blogged about the story of the Metzgar family, great friends of mine whose youngest of three was diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, an extremely rare form of cancer which kills 9 out of 10 children afflicted.

Over the past year, Shane went through dozens of rounds of chemotherapy, surgeries, and other treatments to fight cancer. Still shy of his second birthday, Shane’s strength and endurance helped give his family, his mom, dad, two older siblings, grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc., the strength to support his battle.

Sadly, Shane Metzgar passed away Monday. A fighter to the end who recently earned his Mickey ears from a trip to Disney World, Shane died at home, where he was embraced in love, support, and pride. Emily Babay at Philly.com has an article on Shane’s story. Shane’s parents, who are donating Shane’s tumors to the Keller Research Center, with the goal of finding more information about his type of rare cancer, also have a Facebook Page. That page chronicles the life and times of this young, smiling warrior. It’s also where I learned yesterday that Shane got in a proper middle-finger tribute to cancer.

Although Shane succumbed to this horrible disease, he did not “lose” to cancer. Both Shane and his story have helped spotlight this terrible disease. The Metzgars have also set up a foundation, called Shane’s Future Days, to raise awareness  — which you can also do by sharing this post on social media, or just emailing it to a family member, friend, or co-worker. Shane’s Future Days will also raise money for rhabdomyosarcoma research, and help families affected by cancer. If you’d like to donate, click here.

We’ll never forget you, little boy.

R.I.P. Shane Metzgar.