Shauna Fuller is a clinical psychologist at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center. She and her husband, Dylan, have two boys. Their eldest son, Ethan, is a sophomore at Marquette University. Their younger son, Clayton, attends a boarding school in Lake Placid, which allows him to pursue his passion for skiing. Shauna has a deep love for her family, enjoys her meaningful career, and is passionate about fitness.

In 2017, Shauna came across an article at her workplace that caught her attention. It shared the increased risk Vietnam veterans have of developing cholangiocarcinoma. Shauna wanted to be certain her father, Jim Lynn, a Vietnam veteran, read the article. So, instead of mailing it to him, she decided to hand-deliver it when he and Shauna’s mom, Linda Lynn, came for a weeklong visit. Just two days after Shauna’s parents returned to their home, Jim became jaundiced. Shortly after his hospitalization, Jim was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma. About a year and a half after diagnosis, on the day of Shauna’s parents’ 50th anniversary, Jim passed away. Shauna said she felt her dad really wanted to make it to his anniversary. Shauna said that her dad taught her how to die with dignity. He was full of kindness and humor throughout his entire journey, she said.

Shauna connected with the Foundation shortly after her father’s diagnosis. She remembers searching the internet and being utterly terrified by the grim results. Finding the link to Foundation’s website amongst that dispair was incredibly important. She found support and helpful information, including how to navigate the healthcare system as a veteran. She was grateful to have the Foundation as a resource at a time when she felt scared and uninformed. After her father’s passing, Shauna reached out to the Foundation to learn how she could help raise funds for the organization. She combined her passion for fitness with her desire to give back and signed up to run in the Chicago marathon for TeamCCF. She began her fundraising and training but then developed a foot injury. Then, the marathon was canceled due to COVID-19. Instead of seeing the canceled marathon and the difficulty with her foot as a reason to stop, Shauna saw it as a reason to not delay and keep going. She knew that if her dad had faced the same situation, nothing would have kept him from moving forward. Shauna decided to continue her training and run alone.

Her Saturday morning training runs were quite long. She found precious moments on those runs. She spent time thinking of her father and working through her grief. Shauna’s husband, Dylan, joined her for stretches by slowly biking next to her to offer support. Shauna also experienced great community support during her training. Her “workout buddies” helped her plan the logistics for her route including where to take water breaks and bathroom breaks. (Dylan also quietly planned where to have cheerleaders along the route.) Members of the CCF community reached out to Shauna to encourage her and congratulate her on continuing her training. On the day of the marathon, many friends of Shauna and her father’s came out to support her along her path. During the race, Shauna proudly wore her father’s chain from Vietnam and his hat from treatment that reads “Cancer Picked the Wrong JarHead..” She felt her father’s presence with her during the entire journey, she said. Shauna shared that volunteering gave her the opportunity to say “thank you” to the Foundation and gave her a way to stay connected with her dad and talk about his story. She appreciates being part of a community that understands the pain and devastation that can be associated with cholangiocarcinoma and the sense of belonging and support offered by the Foundation.

Shauna was asked what her advice would be if someone read her story and was inspired to get involved. She replied, “I would say just do it. Take the inspiration and run with it. Don’t question it, just do it!” Thank you, Shauna, for sharing your father’s story with us and providing us with inspiration!

Please join us in congratulating Cindy and Claire on their new positions. 

TeamCCF has filled all 25 bibs for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon! We have ten bibs for the TCS New York Marathon takes place on November 6, 2022. Please email Meredith McGuffage, TeamCCF Coordinator, for more information.

Here is a highlight of one upcoming, fantastic volunteer-hosted event that you don’t want to miss if you are in the area: 

The 3rd Annual “Quack Out Cholangio” 5k Run/Walk to Crush Bile Duct Cancer will take place Saturday, May 14, 2022, at Midnight Oil Brewing Company in Newark, DE. This event is put on by Cholangiocarcinoma Warrior, Janice Meyer, and her husband, Dean Meyer, who is also a Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation Board Member. You can sign up to participate in the upcoming event either in-person or virtually by clicking HERE. Check out highlights from last year's race HERE.

CCF is in need of support from persons who are multilingual. Language barriers can put patients at greater risk of misinformation and unclear treatment paths. If you are multilingual and have language skills you are willing to share to support CholangioConnect mentor requests and/or other volunteer administrative needs please let us know by completing this brief Language Skillset Survey.

Amplify your impact by submitting your hours. CCF regularly applies for grants that require details, including monthly hours, on support provided specifically by volunteers. Accurately recording all CCF volunteer hours helps further strengthen CCF's grant application. Thank you for taking the time to submit your hours! If you have not already done so, please follow the appropriate button below to submit your March hours.