Para Hills Knights are raising money for brain cancer, in support of junior assistant coach Shane Hillman, who is terminally ill with the disease
SHANE Hillman’s two-year battle with terminal brain cancer has inspired Para Hills Knights, where he is a much-loved junior coach. This Saturday, the soccer club is hosting a special day for the 52-year-old.
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SHANE Hillman’s passions are his family and coaching soccer juniors.
Those two things have also been his main outlets since being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in September 2016.
Hillman, 52, can no longer work or drive, suffers from seizures and mood swings, struggles with memory loss and knows his case is inoperable.
But he still turns up to Para Hills Knights a few times each week in his role as assistant coach with his son Josh’s under-15 team.
The family’s battle has inspired the Knights to raise money and awareness for brain cancer – and give Shane a chance to be a first-team coach for a day.
He will be an honorary assistant with the Para Hills Premier League squad for its home match against Sturt this Saturday – a day club officials and players will wear beanies and grey armbands as they seek donations for the Carrie’s Beanies 4 Brain Cancer charity.
The foundation was established by The Project’s Carrie Bickmore following her husband Greg’s death from brain cancer.
“I’m very, very humbled by it,” Shane, of Lewiston, says of the club’s gesture.
“I don’t think I deserve it.
“When my wife, Deb, mentioned it to me, I did have a tear.”
Shane was driving along Main North Rd in June 2016 when he lost feeling in the right side of his body and had to pull over.
Doctors initially diagnosed it as a stroke but discovered brain cancer after a biopsy three months later.
Deb has been Shane’s full-time carer ever since, quitting her job as a manager at Woolworths.
Now she is constantly by her husband’s side, driving him everywhere and performing menial tasks for him, such as shaving.
They have moved in with their daughter, Jenna, son-in-law Jamie and 22-month-old grandson Chase for extra support.
“I’ve been with Shane since I was 15 years old so there was no doubt in my mind that I’d put him first,” Deb says.
“It’s been hard. We’ve lost a lot but we’ve gained a lot of perspective on life.
“Health-wise, he’s been good lately but it’s day by day that we take things.
“We both put laughter into the day and it gets us through.
“Coaching has been his outlet – he lives and breathes it.”
Deb says her family is incredibly grateful to the Knights for their generosity.
“We were overwhelmed because these are people we’ve only known for a short time,” she says.
“We’ve been welcomed with open arms and it (the club) is a family.
“They’re all beautiful people and they care.
“I’m looking forward to him having the best day.”
Para Hills junior co-ordinator Matthew Fry says the club has been touched by Shane’s story, which Deb has been capturing on a “pretty raw” Facebook page.
“He loves the club and they’re such a nice family,” Fry says.
“The kids love Shane.
“I thought we needed to do something to raise awareness and give him a special day as well.”
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