Last December, seemingly out of the blue, Lane Kleinglass found himself with a broken leg. He’d been experiencing pain for a while, but knew he hadn’t done anything to injure himself.
Nevertheless, x-rays showed a clean break in his left shinbone.
“Since there was no explanation for the break, the doctors did a bunch of tests and found out it was diffuse B-cell lymphoma,” 18-year-old Kleinglass, a 2022 Salem High School graduate, said. “It was shocking and overwhelming. It was the last thing I thought it would be.”
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is the most common type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a fast-growing blood cancer. Essentially, a tumor ate away at his shinbone, causing the break.
The feelings of shock and overwhelm Kleinglass experienced are common for teens and young adults diagnosed with cancer. That’s why, in 2020, Canton resident Jim O’Farrell started the Shedneck Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing smiles to young people dealing with the physical and emotional toll of the disease.
“The idea for the foundation came from me wanting to do something deeper than being an executive in the logistics industry,” said O’Farrell, vice president of automotive for Radiant Logistics. “For quite a number of years I’ve been asking myself what that is.”
After some research, O’Farrell discovered a great need for support services for teen cancer patients, something he hadn’t personally experienced in his own family or circle of friends. He put together a board of directors and began cultivating relationships with businesses, organizations and individuals in the community who would help support the foundation.
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To connect with those who could benefit from opportunities offered by the Shedneck Foundation, O’Farrell works closely with the Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Program at the Rogel Cancer Center at University of Michigan Health in Ann Arbor, where a social worker helps to identify patients from the Plymouth-Canton community.
It’s important, O’Farrell said, that teens and young adults who matched with the foundation are treated to an experience tailored to their personal interests. One of the foundation’s “warriors,” as they are dubbed, along with several friends, was treated to dinner and a limousine ride to a night at the theater to see “Lion King” live on stage.
Zoe Weber, a 2021 Plymouth High School grad, was treated to a formal night on the town with her boyfriend and six friends after cancer diagnosis and treatment kept her off the lacrosse field and away from her prom during senior year.
Lane Kleinglass, who is now in remission after four founds of chemo followed by radiation, is among those. Last month, he was able to experience a memorable day, courtesy of the Shedneck Foundation.
The event organized for Kleinglass first included a stop at StockX headquarters in downtown Detroit, where he met co-founder and “sneaker authenticator” Sadelle Moore.
StockX is an online marketplace where users buy and sell highly-coveted items like high-end clothing, shoes, electronics and collectables.
“We got to go into a VIP store they have. It was awesome,” he said, noting he is a “big fan” of the type of shoes and clothing sold through StockX and has shopped the company’s app on several occasions.
Afterward, Kleinglass and his friend were whisked away to dinner, followed by VIP treatment at the The Weeknd concert at Ford Field.
“We had really awesome seats on the stage,” he said. “It was a great night.”
On Saturday, Aug. 27, the Shedneck Foundation will host its second annual hoedown at the Wilcox House in downtown Plymouth. The event includes food, drink, music, dancing, raffle and more.
The idea, O’Farrell said, is to help raise money for and awareness of the organization, which receives all its support from businesses and organizations in the community.
Ticket information is available on the group’s website shedneckfoundation.org or on its Facebook page.
Contact reporter Laura Colvin at lcolvin@hometownlife.com or 248-221-8143.