Hi Mariel,

What a day Saturday! I just wanted to extend a huge thank you for all that you and your family have done for the Walk. I can only imagine what the day means for you and your family. We appreciate your support and hope you can find support in the Walk and in NAMI. You all are amazing, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Thank you, and let us know if we can help in any way. Hope to see you in 2007!

Thanks again and take care,
Stephany

Stephany Melton
Director of Affiliate Development
National Alliance on Mental Illness of Massachusetts (NAMI-MA)
400 West Cummings Park Suite 6650
Woburn, MA 01801
781-938-4048
smelton@nami.org

Below’s a message from my father expressing our gratitude to everyone
involved in walking and supporting our team for this year’s NAMI walk.
Everyone worked very hard and it all paid off. NAMI is a wonderful
organization and they were so happy to see our team participate again.
Our team raised over $3300 and had 50 walkers. All the funds and public
awareness raised will help NAMI achieve their goals to fight the stigma
that surrounds mental illness, to build awareness of the fact that the
mental health system in this country needs to be improved and to raise
funds for NAMI so that they can continue their mission.

Cailean struggled and fought so hard. His days were not easy; getting
throught the teenage years is a hard enough task and I get overwhelmed
trying to imagine everything else he had to endure. His illness was
very isolating and often made it difficult for him to see that people
were standing by him trying to find ways to help. It was so nice to
see all of his friends and family get together this weekend. Cailean
had a great sense of humor and loved to joke around, but he was always a
very sensitive, sincere, and compassionate person. I know he would be
touched to see this year’s team. The day that I gave birth to Dexter he
told me he was proud of me and it meant so much. Even 2 years after his
death I find myself being prouder and prouder of him. I am so proud to
say that he is my brother and that his life, and now death have impacted
so many people.

Thank you for all of your support.
Love,Mariel

MAUREEN AND I AND MARIEL AND BRITTANY WANT TO THANK YOU FOR DEVOTING
YOUR TIME AND EFFORTS TO BE WITH US THIS PAST WEEKEND. OUR MEMORIAL FOR
CAILEAN IS OUR WAY OF DECLARING TO THE WORLD HOW WONDERFUL A PERSON,SON,
BROTHER AND FRIEND HE WAS AND STILL IS.

I SINCERELY HOPE THAT WE CAN SEE YOU AGAIN NEXT YEAR ON THE FRIDAY NIGHT
AT FRANCO’S AS WE FURTHER IMPROVE OUR KAOROKE AND BILLIARDS SKILLS IN
THE MIDST OF THE RED SOX NATION. JOHN. 212 551 0793 P.S. PLEASE
FORWARD THIS TO ANYONE I MISSED.

Yesterday, a group 27 strong plus one with a broken foot cooking at home participated in NAMI Walks for the Minds of America. Our team Walking for Cailean Walker raised over $2400 in donations. I have a bunch of more pics and people that I’d like to thank and will put up here this week, but I figured I’d get the group photo up here now.

This is the cd that everyone worked very hard to put together. We gave them out to anyone who made a donation to Neurological Lyme Disease. If you would like to get a copy of the cd too you can email me at mariel@slowburn.net

SHARING SHEERAN
Thanks to Alex, Charlie, Daniel, Ryan, and Woody who originated the idea of compiling a compact disc of Cailean?s original music and songs he loved. They worked very hard on selecting and recording just the right songs and title for the project; ?SHARING SHEERAN? is the terrific result. Listening to this CD will be a wonderful way to preserve and honor Cailean?s musical talent. Thanks, also, to Brittany and Mariel for their work on the cover layout/design.Cailean Walker Sheeran embraced life, family and friends until Neurological Lyme Disease shattered his spirit. All proceeds from donations received will be sent to Dr. Brian Fallon at the N.Y. Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia Medical Center to be used for research for the diagnosis and treatment of ?Neuro-Lyme?.
If you would like to read or write about our wonderful son and brother, please visit www.mariel.slowburn.net/cailean/
Please refer to http://www.lymeinfo.net/neuropsych.html
for additional information/links on Neurological Lyme Disease

Cailean started Kindergarten the day after we moved to Garrison. So many of his friendships blossomed in those early years. Cailean used to share with Brittany and I all of the silly and crazy things he and his friends would get themselves into. He loved to make people laugh.
I’ve been coming across pictures of him and his friends that I had and I will be posting them here.

For Cailean, On Behalf of Mariel

Last Night I laid down in bed, shut my eyes, and saw Cailean smile and I was finally able to breath again. Cailean’s smile was contagious and inspiring. He loved being with family and friends and everyone loved being around him.

He had an endless supply of talent. Cailean and I shared a love of nature and being outdoors. I taught him how to be a great frog catcher. He practiced and practiced and like the boys at the Manitoga Camp where I worked said– He was the Ultimate Catcher. Cailean would wake up early on his summer days to come to work with me. He was 11 and loved being a role model to all the boys there.

At the same age Cailean was enjoying another passion of his–tennis. Both of our parents passed on the love of this game to my brother, sister, and I. My dad would hit around with him and pass on his knowledge. Cailean took those lessons and ran with them. It wasn’t long before he was better than all of us and we were all trying to find a way to beat him.

Cailean’s passion for music encompassed his whole spirit. Growing up in a house of music, he learned to appreciate all of the different styles. He would go to Texas concerts with my parents and Dave Matthews with my sister and I. All of this music inspired him to be a great musician. The guitar, song-writing, and singing became his therapy in a world that presented a lot of challenges.

As Cailean got older and taller it became obvious he was going to excel at basketball. He would play with anyone, at any time and he always had the fire in his eyes that said, ?I am going to win.? He inherited the Celtic pride and he was a fighter.

Before Cailean was born, I always wanted a little sister because I didn’t know what a brother could be like. Over all the years, through all of the talent and knowledge he acquired I felt pride and joy that I only associate with one other person, my son. Cailean appreciated Dexter in a way that I never thought a teenage boy would be able to. It is now my purpose to teach Dexter about his amazing uncle and it is all of our jobs to remember Cailean Walker and help his spirit and passion for life and laughter to live on.

Being 8 ? years older than Cailean, I am fortunate to remember all the good times and the highlights of his life that you see in these pictures surrounding us. I can clearly remember the day he was born, his first day of school, and his first formal dance to name a few. Early on, I played the role of big sister but thankfully in the past ten years I was able to become much more than that as we built a special camaraderie. My sister and I had a close group of friends which Cailean naturally grew to be a part of. If we were going to the movies, it was known that Cailean was going too. If we were hanging out until 4 in the morning, so was he. I have many fond memories of the weeks he spent visiting with my sister and I in Boston. I was able to take him to some great concerts which I know he enjoyed immensely. I always got a kick out of him as we would leave a concert and he?d say, ?I?d think that was the best show I have ever seen.? I?ve told some of my close friends that Cailean is my favorite person in the world and it is devastating to know that he is now gone. I last spoke to Cailean on Tuesday night and asked him if he missed me to which he responded ?Yeah, I miss you a lot?. Now I just want to let my bud know that I miss him a lot too. I not only miss him as my brother but also as one of my best friends.

Coming across this picture I was overwhelmingly reminded how amazing my brother was. The first time Cailean saw Dexter he had the biggest grin I’ve ever seen and he was gitty. This picture was taken a few hours later in my hospital room jam packed with people. At that moment Cailean was asked how he felt about me having the baby and he simply stated, ” I feel very proud.”

The following article was written to be published in our local newspapers. Needless to say, it also extends to family and friends, near and far, who have also offered us so much love and support at this tragic time.

The family of Cailean Walker Sheeran would like to
extend our deepest appreciation to all of our friends
in the Cold Spring, Garrison, Highland Falls and West
Point communities for reaching out to us in our time
of need. Your comforting thoughts, prayers, beautiful
flowers, generous charitable and food donations, as well as,
your unending help and support will always be remembered.

Thanks, also, to the following organizations and
businesses that came to our assistance for the reception
which followed Cailean?s memorial service: Foodtown, Garrison
Fish and Game Club, Garrison Teachers? Association, and
The Main Course.

In addition, we wish to express our admiration for the
dignity and compassion of the investigating officers,
detectives, medical personnel, and the Clinton Funeral Home
at the time of our tragedy.

Appreciation is also extended to James I. O?Neill High School
for the specialized educational services they provided to
Cailean the last year. Showcasing his musical talent at the
recent Talent Show was also very meaningful to our family.

Father Shane of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church was truly
an angel sent to guide and offer us the wisdom that we
needed to hear. His words and suggestions touched us all.

Cailean was an unique young man with a gentle soul who
celebrated life to its fullest until his spirit was impaired
by Neurological Lyme disease. He left us far too early at
the age of seventeen. To paraphrase one of his friends, ?Let?s hope
that he is in the most crowded area of Heaven where he would be
able to entertain the most people with his enjoyable sense of fun
and humor, as well as his talent on the guitar.? Please remember
him for the wonderful person that he was.

Please refer to http://mariel.slowburn.net/cailean/
to read more about Cailean, to add comments, stories
or pictures, and/or to find information on donating to
Neurological Lyme disease research or Young Concert Artists Inc.

John and Maureen Sheeran