Spaghetti dinner fundraiser
Proceeds benefit stem cell transplant for Sean McKeown
When: 4-8 p.m. Saturday, March 4
Where: Sequim Boys & Girls Club, 400 West Fir St., Sequim
Admission: $10 for adults, $6 for children ages 10 and under
For more: Contact Karen McKeown at karenlmckeown@gmail.com or visit https://www.gofundme.com/seans-stem-cell-therapy
Sean McKeown has been living with multiple sclerosis for 17 years.
After trying every medication available to stop the progression of the disease, McKeown finally was approved for stem cell transplant therapy that could significantly help improve his condition.
It has been a 17-year journey for the McKeowns, as Sean and his wife Karen describe it. The two met in a Human Relations class at college in Bellingham and got married six months after Sean was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
They now have two young children, Madison, 13, and Dylan, 12, that attend Sequim Middle School.
Sean was born and raised in Port Angeles. The McKeowns have been living in Sequim for five years and work for the family owned business called All Weather Heating and Cooling, Inc. located off Kemp Street in Port Angeles.
Sean’s parents Tom and Ida McKeown opened the business in the 1980s and later sold it to Sean’s sister Jeanne´ Sparks and her business partner Dustin Halverson. Karen currently works as the office manager and Sean also worked at the business until 2009 when he could no longer work.
Sean was first diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2000 after experiencing double vision. He is no longer able to take the previous medication he was using for 10 years. Last September, he got a call from the University of Washington that notified him he tested positive for the JC Anti-virus — for most people it would be similar to the common cold — but when Sean contracts the virus it means half of the multiple sclerosis drugs can cause a second disease called PML or brain cancer.
“It was a huge wake up call for us,” said Karen.
Multiple sclerosis causes Sean’s legs to constantly shake and he must walk with the assistance of a cane every day. He also has a lack of energy and at one point was in a wheelchair for several months because he did not have the energy to walk short distances.
The McKeowns said they did a lot of research about stem cell transplant therapy for treating multiple sclerosis and Sean was approved for the procedure after he applied. His approval only lasts for 10 weeks but his insurance does not cover the procedure so the McKeowns must raise $16,000 to cover the cost.
The idea behind the treatment is to take Sean’s stem cells out of his fat areas, such as the stomach, put the cells through a machine that cleans it and creates new stem cells. Doctors will then inject the cells back into his body where they will attach to blood cells and start the healing process.
For multiple sclerosis, stem cell transplant therapy could help with Sean’s movement and Karen added that doctors want to put some stem cells in his brain.
Sean explained that the body’s nerve endings are “almost like a wire,” when talking about the process. He explained his T-cells are attacking the fatty tissue surrounding the nerve endings and when these cells get down to the “wire” or nerve endings “the wires snap and short out,” he said.
“In theory, those stem cells will re-attach those wires,” Karen explained.
StemGenex is the San Diego, Calif.-based facility where the McKeowns will travel to have the procedure done. Karen said the facility has been performing stem cell transplant therapy for nine years to treat other diseases such as Parkinson’s. The treatment could be done within three days but if the McKeowns do not raise the money for the procedure within 10 weeks, they will have to reapply.
The McKeowns said they are hoping this procedure will allow Sean to have more energy.
“For him, mainly it will be his energy level,” Karen said. “That would be a huge step in the right direction for him.”
Karen explained there were days where Sean could barely walk out to the mailbox and back and would need to rest shortly after.
The McKeowns have been trying to raise money for the procedure through a GoFundMe account and a bank account through First Federal under “Benefit for Sean McKeown.”
The family also is hosting a fundraiser at the Boys &Girls club in Sequim this Saturday, March 4, where there will be a spaghetti dinner and raffle items. So far the McKeowns have raised an estimated $3,000 and the deadline to reach their goal amount is April 24.
For more information about Sean, you can visit https://www.gofundme.com/seans-stem-cell-therapy.
The spaghetti fundraiser will be held from 4-8 p.m. at the Sequim Boys &Girls Club, 400 West Fir St. in Sequim. Admission is $10 for adults and $6 for children ages 10 and under. Contact Karen McKeown at karenlmckeown@gmail.com.
