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Spinal Cancer: Journey of Resilience

Shawn McConn refers to himself as a "PAMF baby." When Shawn was 5 years old, Dr. Joe Davis became his pediatrician at the former Palo Alto Medical Clinic. Their bond was so strong that Shawn convinced Dr. Davis to remain his doctor until he was 28. Today, at age 45, Shawn still has fond memories of his visits with Dr. Davis, who is now deceased.

"I'll never forget the day when I was about 10, and Dr. Davis told me it was time to lose my baby fat," he recalled. "He got down on the floor, right there in his office, and showed me and my mom how to do push-ups and sit-ups. He was a little out of breath himself, and all three of us broke out laughing!"

The fitness message got through, however, and in the years that followed, Shawn took up BMX biking, jet skiing, water skiing and his all-time favorite sport, motocross racing. He competed in regional motocross races on the professional circuit and retired from racing at age 23. Shawn is now a married father of two young daughters and works full-time as a senior project manager at a merchandising firm in the East Bay.

In mid-2005, Shawn began to notice some numbness and muscle twitching in his legs and went to see Dr. Barbara Boyer, his primary care physician at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation's (PAMF) Fremont Center.

After ordering X-rays and an MRI, Dr. Boyer referred Shawn to a (now retired) neurologist at the Fremont Center, who ordered a second MRI that revealed an abnormality on Shawn's spine. At that point, Shawn's left leg was almost completely numb, and he was referred to PAMF neurosurgeon Paul Jackson, who confirmed that Shawn had a malignant tumor on his spinal cord. Dr. Jackson consulted with Dr. Michael Edwards, a renowned pediatric neurosurgeon at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, who has a sub-specialty in spinal cord tumors.

Dr. Edwards agreed to assist Dr. Jackson during Shawn's operation at Stanford University Hospital, and in January 2007, Dr. Jackson removed what turned out to be a grade 3 ependymoma tumor near the central canal of Shawn's spinal cord.

"Before my surgery, I had to mentally prepare myself for the possibility that I might never walk again and could spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair," Shawn said. "I had to explain this concept to my little girls, who were only 6 and 9 years old at the time. My youngest daughter gave me a smiley face sticker and said, ‘We're going to think happy thoughts, Daddy!' You don't really grow up until you face a moment like that."

After his surgery, Shawn remained in the hospital for a month, moving from the intensive care unit to the spinal cord recovery wing. "The whole time, I had amazing support from my wife and daughters, and from my mom and dad," Shawn said. "I remember Dr. Boyer calling me right before the surgery and crying on the phone. She's like a big sister to me, and she really cares about her patients."

After several months of physical therapy, Shawn was walking on his own, and by spring, he was back at work. Starting in January 2008, Shawn began a month of radiation treatments, and today, he is back to his normal life.

When asked what he'd say to readers about the need for philanthropic support, he replied, "Because of generous philanthropic gifts from people like you, I am here today, walking and talking and playing outside with my daughters. As far as I'm concerned, every dollar you donate to PAMF is worth two, because they truly have their patients' best interests at heart."

Recently, Shawn sent photographs of himself riding his dirt bike to Drs. Jackson, Boyer and Edwards, writing on each photo: "I think of you every day. Because of you, I'm still here."