The following is an admitted copy/edit/paste job from facebook. It was written far more coherently than anything I've been able to produce the past few days, one of my high school friends is quite possibly in his last days, and many of us have been trying to get as many people to see his story as possible. I attempted at writing my own synopsis, but sadly could hardly break through the emotional barriers. I apologize for any references to Batman, as this was copied from the formal letter that was sent to Christian Bale's publicist. I'm not really asking you guys for anything, if you choose to donate money, great, if you don't, no big deal. The bigger thing is if you're willing to donate blood, bone marrow, and other potentially life-saving elements of your body to help people. Also attached at the bottom is Eric's final video, titled Final Confession(as seen on MSN.com, LIVESTRONG's twitter and Donald Drivers twitter, now) You may browse through the history there as he video blogged his battle with Leukemia. Anyway, here you go.
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Eric McLean was diagnosed with AML (Acute Myelogenous Leukemia) Cancer on June 23, 2003. He would begin his battle with cancer never realizing the lives he was about to touch. In his eyes he was just your everyday man, but in the eyes of thousands, he was unstoppable. After receiving 2 intense rounds of Chemo he achieved remission for the very first time. Everyone sighed with relief. They could finally breathe a little. At least for now.
Eric's brother, Mike, decided to run the Iron Man Wisconsin & their father, Brian, came up with the moniker "Leukemia Ironman Fundraiser for Eric" L.I.F.E was born. They would go on to raise thousands of dollars to help fund the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to support cancer research.
Unfortunately, 4 1/2 years later the cancer returned. Eric was 23 yrs old at the time & he had just graduated from college. Again, he started with some intense chemo treatment & radiation, but this time he also would receive stem cell treatment from his sister, Lindsey.
Eric was cancer free again for nearly a year until June 5, 2009, when his AML relapsed again. Only this time doctors gave him a terminal prognosis, saying it could not be cured. He immediately began a journey to complete his "Bucket List" - a list of things he wanted to accomplish before it was too late: skydiving, driving in a Dodge Viper, gambling in Las Vegas, going to the Caribbean with his family, riding in a hot air balloon, and so much more. It could not have been done without the support and help of many friends, family, and people whom we have never even met. Eric was advised not to treat it, for fear that it would only make him very sick, with the same fatal outcome. When death was his only option, he chose to fight it. Just 2 of his 11 doctors agreed to it. They tried a regimen of Decitabine and Mylotarg that had never really been attempted before on a patient as young as Eric. It worked, miraculously, and Eric again achieved remission status!
In 2009, L.I.F.E. became its own 501(c)(3) non-profit entity so that it could begin helping other patients directly. L.I.F.E would go on to raise thousands & thousands of dollars, fund several research projects & help many other patients battling cancer. The interesting part was that the whole time Eric was fighting his own fight with cancer, he was also working diligently on raising money & getting L.I.F.E off the ground so he could help other's in need.
Then on January 12, 2011 Eric's bone marrow biopsy returned positive. Facing AML Cancer for the 4th time, he was given DLI (donor lymphocyte infusion) from his sister Lindsey to promote GvL effect. The treatment worked and Eric entered remission again on May 4th, 2011.
Through all of this, Eric has had the support of one amazing woman. They married on July 16th, 2011. Her name is Cari. She has been there for him through this hard journey, stood by his side & fought when Eric had no fight left in him. When they wed, Eric was working for Harley Davidson in Milwaukee WI & she was working (she owns) for Manty Dance in Manitowoc, WI. Eric would spend months in the hospital down in Milwaukee & Cari would drive back & forth to work & the hospital just to be with him. She put in thousands of miles traveling each way & always did it with a smile. She spent so much time trying to run her dance business in Manitowoc, WI to support them, yet still driving back at night to the hospital in Milwaukee, WI to be there for Eric while he struggled through this treatment. It isn't every day you see a couple so caring & so in love as Eric & Cari. I do believe with all of my heart that he has held on & fought this terribly hard fight with much more strength because he had Cari by his side.
After they married, they honeymooned in the Caribbean & he just knew something wasn't right. Upon their arrival home, they went from the airport straight to the ER. After several tests Eric would find out the cancer had returned yet again. What a wedding gift?! Eric went through more chemo & another anonymous donor stem cell transplant & achieved remission status for the 5th time on August 24th, 2011.
Eric & Cari got back into the groove of their normal life & finally were able to enjoy the normal things we all take for granted like: washing the dishes, sipping a hot cup of coffee, sleeping in their own bed, mowing the lawn, doing the laundry or taking a walk outside. Due to all the treatments & battling this for so long they don't need any fancy things, simply being at home with each other & sharing moments with their family & friends was all they both truly wanted.....just a normal life. Eric continued work at Harley Davidson & Cari continued teaching dance at her studio. They both pressed forward with the L.I.F.E foundation & continued helping others & doing different fundraisers to continue fighting this fight.
Tragically, Eric officially relapsed for the 6th and 7th time on March 7, 2012 - one cancer was in his bone marrow, the other cancer was in his brain. To combat the 7th relapse, he immediately underwent brain surgery so chemotherapy could be administered directly to his brain. They also gave him a strong dose of radiation. He went through extensive treatment & had so many bad days, but as you are coming to know Eric, he is all about the fight & never giving up no matter how hard it might be.
In all of this, Eric has been told he was dying so many times. Doctors would say he was at the end, Eric would look at them & say "NO, THIS IS NOT THE END!" and he would prove the doctors wrong, put on his game face, and fight this fight. The two of them would face challenges but at the end of the day they were untouchable. Eric impacted the lives of so many people. He became a household name & L.I.F.E would become a household brand. He isn't just your average guy. He has changed so many lives not only in Two Rivers, Manitowoc, Port Washington, Green Bay, Milwaukee, the larger area of Wisconsin, but also all around the USA & around the world. Eric McLean, well, there truly aren't the right words to explain him, other then the fact that the guy is a hero to many.
As of today, August 14, 2012, I learned that Eric's cancer has taken over 96% of his body. His doctors told him there is absolutely nothing left that they can do. They have exhausted all their options. Hospice has started coming to his parents house in Two Rivers, WI to care for Eric & make him more comfortable until the end. His doctors from Milwaukee came to visit him today & told him that a guy with his type of cancer should've only lived 18 months. Eric surpassed the odds & lived over 10 years longer then expected. He has completed college, worked at a job he so very much loved, gotten married to an amazing woman, been there with his family & friends sharing in everyday moments. You can check out the L.I.F.E web site at www.givetolife.org
Eric's brother, Mike, decided to run the Iron Man Wisconsin & their father, Brian, came up with the moniker "Leukemia Ironman Fundraiser for Eric" L.I.F.E was born. They would go on to raise thousands of dollars to help fund the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to support cancer research.
Unfortunately, 4 1/2 years later the cancer returned. Eric was 23 yrs old at the time & he had just graduated from college. Again, he started with some intense chemo treatment & radiation, but this time he also would receive stem cell treatment from his sister, Lindsey.
Eric was cancer free again for nearly a year until June 5, 2009, when his AML relapsed again. Only this time doctors gave him a terminal prognosis, saying it could not be cured. He immediately began a journey to complete his "Bucket List" - a list of things he wanted to accomplish before it was too late: skydiving, driving in a Dodge Viper, gambling in Las Vegas, going to the Caribbean with his family, riding in a hot air balloon, and so much more. It could not have been done without the support and help of many friends, family, and people whom we have never even met. Eric was advised not to treat it, for fear that it would only make him very sick, with the same fatal outcome. When death was his only option, he chose to fight it. Just 2 of his 11 doctors agreed to it. They tried a regimen of Decitabine and Mylotarg that had never really been attempted before on a patient as young as Eric. It worked, miraculously, and Eric again achieved remission status!
In 2009, L.I.F.E. became its own 501(c)(3) non-profit entity so that it could begin helping other patients directly. L.I.F.E would go on to raise thousands & thousands of dollars, fund several research projects & help many other patients battling cancer. The interesting part was that the whole time Eric was fighting his own fight with cancer, he was also working diligently on raising money & getting L.I.F.E off the ground so he could help other's in need.
Then on January 12, 2011 Eric's bone marrow biopsy returned positive. Facing AML Cancer for the 4th time, he was given DLI (donor lymphocyte infusion) from his sister Lindsey to promote GvL effect. The treatment worked and Eric entered remission again on May 4th, 2011.
Through all of this, Eric has had the support of one amazing woman. They married on July 16th, 2011. Her name is Cari. She has been there for him through this hard journey, stood by his side & fought when Eric had no fight left in him. When they wed, Eric was working for Harley Davidson in Milwaukee WI & she was working (she owns) for Manty Dance in Manitowoc, WI. Eric would spend months in the hospital down in Milwaukee & Cari would drive back & forth to work & the hospital just to be with him. She put in thousands of miles traveling each way & always did it with a smile. She spent so much time trying to run her dance business in Manitowoc, WI to support them, yet still driving back at night to the hospital in Milwaukee, WI to be there for Eric while he struggled through this treatment. It isn't every day you see a couple so caring & so in love as Eric & Cari. I do believe with all of my heart that he has held on & fought this terribly hard fight with much more strength because he had Cari by his side.
After they married, they honeymooned in the Caribbean & he just knew something wasn't right. Upon their arrival home, they went from the airport straight to the ER. After several tests Eric would find out the cancer had returned yet again. What a wedding gift?! Eric went through more chemo & another anonymous donor stem cell transplant & achieved remission status for the 5th time on August 24th, 2011.
Eric & Cari got back into the groove of their normal life & finally were able to enjoy the normal things we all take for granted like: washing the dishes, sipping a hot cup of coffee, sleeping in their own bed, mowing the lawn, doing the laundry or taking a walk outside. Due to all the treatments & battling this for so long they don't need any fancy things, simply being at home with each other & sharing moments with their family & friends was all they both truly wanted.....just a normal life. Eric continued work at Harley Davidson & Cari continued teaching dance at her studio. They both pressed forward with the L.I.F.E foundation & continued helping others & doing different fundraisers to continue fighting this fight.
Tragically, Eric officially relapsed for the 6th and 7th time on March 7, 2012 - one cancer was in his bone marrow, the other cancer was in his brain. To combat the 7th relapse, he immediately underwent brain surgery so chemotherapy could be administered directly to his brain. They also gave him a strong dose of radiation. He went through extensive treatment & had so many bad days, but as you are coming to know Eric, he is all about the fight & never giving up no matter how hard it might be.
In all of this, Eric has been told he was dying so many times. Doctors would say he was at the end, Eric would look at them & say "NO, THIS IS NOT THE END!" and he would prove the doctors wrong, put on his game face, and fight this fight. The two of them would face challenges but at the end of the day they were untouchable. Eric impacted the lives of so many people. He became a household name & L.I.F.E would become a household brand. He isn't just your average guy. He has changed so many lives not only in Two Rivers, Manitowoc, Port Washington, Green Bay, Milwaukee, the larger area of Wisconsin, but also all around the USA & around the world. Eric McLean, well, there truly aren't the right words to explain him, other then the fact that the guy is a hero to many.
As of today, August 14, 2012, I learned that Eric's cancer has taken over 96% of his body. His doctors told him there is absolutely nothing left that they can do. They have exhausted all their options. Hospice has started coming to his parents house in Two Rivers, WI to care for Eric & make him more comfortable until the end. His doctors from Milwaukee came to visit him today & told him that a guy with his type of cancer should've only lived 18 months. Eric surpassed the odds & lived over 10 years longer then expected. He has completed college, worked at a job he so very much loved, gotten married to an amazing woman, been there with his family & friends sharing in everyday moments. You can check out the L.I.F.E web site at www.givetolife.org
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