Scott Stanfield
Record staff
Nadine Shaw tends to think of others before herself.
But now she needs to be put first, says her friend Celine Leichner, who has created a Go Fund Me campaign to support Shaw as she battles cancer.
The 39-year-old Royston resident was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“It is quite aggressive,” said Leichner, who describes her friend as an adventurous, free spirit. Shaw had planned this fall to travel to South Africa, where she has previously visited.
“She is quite a go getter. She’s involved with many things in the community. To be a busy person to all of a sudden not be able to work — a shock to the system. She’s not the person she used to be, and it’s emotionally distressing. We’re just trying to help her and her family as much as possible.”
When Leichner moved to the Valley, Shaw is one of the first people she met.
“She was there for me from the get-go,” she said of her friend who is affectionately known as ‘girl Friday.’
“It really sucks,” Leichner said of cancer. “The people who don’t deserve something like this are the ones that get it. She lived a healthy lifestyle, too, so it’s a shock.”
A fundraising art show and silent auction will be held in November. For more information call (250) 650-5363.
Bottle donations are being accepted to help Shaw at Courtenay Return-It (account #434) or Comox Return-It (account #276).
Donations can also be made at Fitness Excellence at 2637 Moray Pl. in Courtenay.
Another option is to call for collection at 250-858-5901.
To help Nadine, visit gofundme.com/urfreedomtrain
As of Oct. 12, more than $4,000 had been raised by 40 people. The goal is $40,000.