MACOMB, Ill.  -  The Shaymus Relays, a fund raiser for Shaymus and the Guinn family put on by members of the Western Illinois track and field and cross country teams, brought support and participation from all over campus and the Macomb community with a result of $10,590 to date, a number that continues to grow.

“There's a lot of good in young people,” Tony Guinn, the Western Illinois head women's soccer coach stated. “I am surprised that three kids that have never met me in their whole life decided to take it upon themselves during their season and in school full time, to take time for a family that they don't even know. That is very unselfish and a great way to look at the world. When you think about priorities in life, this was an event that I think the students will be happy they were a part of. There is always other things that need to be done, but it's events like these that are life changing.

“I teach and coach at Western,” Guinn continued. “When I look at pictures of The Shaymus Relays and met with the kids that organized the event, I am reminded that there are and will always be great kids in this world that want to be involved and help out and it was the students at Western Illinois University that did that. Any teacher that was at the event could have realized just again why it is that they teach and want to be involved in remarkable kids' lives. This was something that all of the people that participated didn't have to be at, but they were there until 8:30 that night.”

The event consisted of track and field activities for 1st through 6th graders and a pair of events for students of Western Illinois University. Hundreds of people came out to participate in the event that lasted nearly four hours. All results and photos from the event can be accessed at www.wiuathletics.com.

“I'm more of a giver and this experience has been very humbling to me, being on the receiving end,” Guinn explained. “In my whole life I have been on the giving end and now that I am in a position that I really need help. I average 4,000 miles a month on my car to get to and from work. The gas and then the hospital bills are enormous. It is just humbling when I see people go out of the way to help me. It makes me want to give more of my time to others when we get through this.”  

The athletic department, in addition to the campus community, Macomb community and registered student organizations, came together to support the cause. One-hundred percent of the proceeds went directly to the Guinn family. The thoughts and support of all have helped the Guinn family through a battle that has yet to be won.

Shaymus had 12 different locations of cancer, called hot spots, when he started this process; from his shoulders to his arms to his legs. Just this past week, the Guinn family entered a room of about a dozen doctors and were given the results of four scans, a CAT, MRI, BONE and PET, that Shaymus underwent to see where he stands in the treatment process. The main site of the cancer was in his right knee and was originally the size of an American baseball. Now, according to the PET scan, 11-of-12 “hot spots” no longer show up and the one on his knee is the size of the quarter.

“We just cried when we got the news, but not the bad tears of course,” Tony Guinn said. “Shaymus gave the group of doctors high fives. The bone scans came back perfect and the CAT scan showed the spreading in his abdomen and chest were clean. It was the best news we had gotten in six months. I feel like we ran about the ninth mile in a marathon. We still have quite a ways to go, but it could be a lot worse.”

It is in the moments of celebration in the hard-fought fight and the times of suffering that the strong character of Shaymus Guinn shine through. Shaymus had to go through a six hour process to harvest stem cells, a process in which he hummed a sang through as they harvested cells from areas around his heart.

“Art and music are ways that have helped Shaymus,” Guinn explained. He used to hum all day long and now he sings out loud. He has the most beautiful voice--on key and perfect pitch. He will sing loud and proud. It has been a therapeutic thing for him.”

“All of July me, Karla (Tony's wife) and Shaymus will be confined to a specialized hospital room overlooking the city of Milwaukee for stem cell transplants,” Guinn explained. “In this process, Shaymus' immune system is almost completely wiped out, which is why this is a special germ-free room. After the 30-day process, we have four to six weeks at home recovering. From there we will go five days a week for five weeks in a row of radiation on Shaymus' right knee. Then we re-do scans to see where we're at in the treatment process. In August, I will be coaching and teaching in Macomb while Shaymus begins the radiation. Macomb is a little area with a big heart.”