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Aug. 19, 2002 SHANE AND HIS LIFELONG STRUGGLE A young man once asked me, “Does it bother you to be a part of Shane’s family?” Shane McNeece has been a part of Mt. Pleasant’s heart and soul for over thirty years. Shane is the tall, dark, and handsome young man whom you will see in the corner of every basketball game, at the top of the bleachers at every football game, and maybe even sitting down at a baseball game. Always, of course, to see the Mt. Pleasant Tigers. Many people will never understand Shane as a person and it is very difficult to even comprehend the troubles that Shane experiences each and every day. Imagine living in a world where you speak a different language than everyone else. You want things done a certain way and you cannot understand why someone would want to do things differently. You have a mindset that it is either right or wrong and there is no gray area in your life. You can understand most of the language that everyone else speaks, however, your brain will never allow you to comprehend that, which does not make sense to you. In other words, you will never be able to comprehend a large part of the language that everyone else speaks around you. This is the best analogy that I can give you to briefly describe what life is like for Shane. Shane was born on July 3, 1964 to Wayne and Shirley McNeece. For the first four months, everything was going well for this couple and their newborn baby. Then, without warning, Shane became very ill. At 4 ˝ months old, Shane developed Spinal Meningitis. This disease literally stopped his heart twice. Doctors resuscitated Shane numerous times and due to this fact, a new child was born. This child was a lot different from the child that Mr. and Mrs. McNeece took home four months earlier. This child was just as special, however, noticeably different in that he did not carry the same sparkle in his eyes. As a result of Spinal Meningitis, Shane lost his ability to make judgements as well as the ability to reason. Shane’s struggle began at a very young age. Shirley, Shane’s mother, had to take Shane to Bill Wilkerson Hearing and Speech School at age two because he was unable to talk. It was hard for his mother, or anyone for that matter, to communicate with him.
Approximate Word count = 1613
Approximate Pages = 6.5
(250 words per page double spaced)
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