2021 recipients

The Faught Family

Alexis Faught is an optimistic, spirited 21-year-old with a love for her family, friends, and traveling. Currently a junior at Eastern Michigan University, Alexis dreams of working in law with a government agency after graduation. Alexis enjoys engaging in artistic activities, spending time with her dog, Pepper, and reading. Alexis graduated from Canton High School in 2018 (after attending Bird and West), when her mother, Andrea, was honored as a recipient for the SJ5K due to kidney failure.  The support of the community got them through that difficult year because we “got a ton of love and support from people we didn’t even know.” 

Last October, Alexis experienced extreme swelling in her arms, legs, and face, along with abnormally high blood pressure. Her mom recognized the signs of kidney failure and took Alexis to the ER, where Alexis was diagnosed with lupus nephritis, an autoimmune disease where her blood cells attack one another and cause organ failure. “I always knew it could happen to me, I just didn’t know it could happen so soon. I am only 21 years old.” 

 Alexis spent sixteen days at Mott’s Children’s Hospital for dialysis and chemotherapy in order to treat her lupus, which has caused lasting effects on her body. Side effects include arthritis, lethargy, and kidney failure.  Currently, dialysis consumes about fifteen hours a week, but she fights through weakness, dizziness and nausea to stay in school full time.  Eventually, Alexis will need a kidney transplant. Watching her daughter fight the same battle has been difficult for Andrea, who received her transplant just months before Alexis’ ordeal. 

Alexis is optimistic in the face of crisis. “Positivity is my defense method because you do what you gotta do to survive.” Despite bad days, she is determined to graduate on time and persevere through whatever obstacles come her way with a smile on her face. Seeing the community come together will remind her that she is not alone, and she has more support than she ever knew. With Alexis, we can go the distance for perseverance.

Click here to see Alexis’s story: youtube.com

The Schuster Family

Brendan Schuster loves the outdoors, BMX, video games and “any sports he could get a chance to play”. After graduating from Canton Preparatory High School in 2018, he worked 12-14 hours a day in motorsports. His family enjoys racing radio-controlled cars, boating on Higgins Lake and attending Monster Truck rallies together.

However, the Schuster’s lives changed on August 13, 2020. During a dirt bike accident on Silver Lake Sand Dunes, Brendan was thrown from his bike, causing severe spinal cord injuries. He was airlifted to Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, where he spent 11 days in the ICU and trauma units to receive spinal fusion surgery. Brendan also suffered a punctured lung, three fractured ribs, and was unable to move his right arm. Brendan spent months rehabbing in Grand Rapids, fighting to relearn everything with his non-dominant hand and to defy the prediction that he has a 10% chance of walking again. His family navigated full time work, a two hour commute to the hospital, and a scary month when all three kids contracted COVID.  

Now home, Brendan's condition requires "a whole family effort" from his Mom, Dad, brother Justin and sister Ciára, who is a senior at Canton Prep. While wheelchair bound, Brendan applies his fighting spirit to frequent physical and occupational rehab at Med Rehab in Ann Arbor.  Says Brendan, "If you think you can do it, you can." However, Brendan’s condition can be hard to navigate. Says his dad, "We all can sympathize with others who need help, but until it happens to you, you have no idea what you don't know." Brendan's mom adds, "Everything can change in a blink of an eye. We can cry, get angry or frustrated, but we have to keep going. All we want is what is best for our son." Community support and their faith have gotten them this far.  Funds from the SJ5K will allow the Schuster’s to purchase equipment for therapy and make their home wheelchair- accessible, allowing Brendan to go the distance toward independence.

Click here to see Brendan’s story: youtube.com

The Creedon Family

Jaxson Creedon is a cheerful, loving eight-month-old born in June of 2020. His mom, Janine Grady-Creedon, is the choir teacher at West Middle School. For the past 5 years, she has organized an SJ5K benefit concert with her choir students. She has a special bond with her students and they look up to her in many ways. Jaxson also has two older brothers, Brayden and Keegan, who are in eighth grade at West. They are incredibly compassionate and will do whatever they can to help their brother. Jaxson’s family has been a huge support system for him; now, it will extend as the whole community comes together. 

Jaxson was born a month premature, with 3 holes in his heart as well as Down’s Syndrome. While the doctors knew he would have Down’s Syndrome, they were unaware about any heart problems until he was born. He spent his first three and half weeks in the NICU. When he could finally go home, he needed an oxygen tank. Jaxson had heart surgery in September to fix the holes, and he is now in recovery. However, he still faces developmental challenges that come with having Down’s Syndrome, such as not being able to crawl yet. For his parents, “the fear of the unknown” can be especially hard to come to terms with. 

The Creedon family has been at the heart of the SJ5K for years. The West choir concerts are a huge part and everyone contributes. Each grade sings the requested songs from each family to show their support. Together, they’ve raised over $1,500 each year for the SJ5K. The Creedon family’s compassion has inspired dozens of families to support our cause. Now, we hope to inspire you to support them. Their family has done so much for the Plymouth Canton Community. This year, we want to do the same for them. With Jaxson and his family, we can go the distance for empathy. 

Click here to see Jaxson’s story: youtube.com

The Brennan Family

Nick Brennan is originally from Port Huron and worked as an electrician. He loves country music, snowmobiling, and hunting. His wife, Amanda, grew up here, attending Isbister, West, and Salem. She is now a teacher at Dodson and Isbister. Additionally, her family was one of the first to ever settle in Plymouth. Amanda and Nick have a seven-year old son, Mason, who is currently a student at Bentley and has many interests, including parkour, riding his dirt bike, and playing Fortnite. Their family loves to travel together. 

In January of last year, Nick started to have back pain. Though they initially did not think much of it, it got progressively worse. Through a CAT scan, cancer was detected. Nick was diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer). The cancer had spread all over his body, and two tumors had broken his back. The couple described learning this as “one of the hardest days.” Nick’s diagnosis has impacted the family’s life in many ways. Nick has to sleep sitting up and Amanda has had to learn how to properly care for him. In addition, he has chemotherapy treatment and appointments that last up to 8 hours. 

For Nick and Amanda, simple texts like “I was thinking of you today” have meant a lot. So to have the whole community come together in support of them would mean the world. The family has also been living solely off Amanda’s salary, went through their life savings, and could not get life insurance through their crisis. The SJ5K would help reduce the impact of these burdens. Despite the challenges he’s faced, Nick is always putting his family first. In his eyes, “you don’t worry about yourself, you worry about your family”. In turn, Amanda has been a huge support for Nick, and their son Mason has done “anything he can for his dad.” Through it all, the Brennan family has truly gone the distance for family. 

Click here to see Nick’s story: youtube.com

The Weber Family

Zoe Weber is a friendly, outgoing senior at Plymouth high school. She currently plays lacrosse for Plymouth, in addition to serving as a manager for the football and basketball teams. After graduating, she has committed to play lacrosse at Lock Haven University, studying to become a physical therapist. Her family loves to travel, especially to the Outer Banks for their annual summer trip. She has a very close bond with her mom, dad, older sister, and boyfriend, Spencer. Zoe says, “they’ve always been there for me.”  The people in her life are a constant reminder that she is never alone.

In January, Zoe went to the ER for chest pains and congestion that had been getting worse since this past November. The doctors initially thought that her thyroids were inflamed, however, they later diagnosed her with Stage 2 Hodgkin's Lymphoma cancer in her neck, chest, and armpit. Thankfully, they caught it early enough for treatment. Zoe will now go through a long 6 months of chemo, a battle that will take a huge toll on her body. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, Zoe’s parents are unable to come to her treatments with her. “I was so scared to leave my house because I was so scared of the unknown,” she said when recalling her first treatments. She hopes that everybody who hears her story will be reminded to be aware of their body and speak up if they feel that something is wrong. 

Like many families, the Weber family could have never imagined being where they are now. Zoe’s mom says, “we hear about the SJ5K every year but you never think you’re going to be a recipient”. Zoe experiences good and bad days, but she is always looking for something to be grateful for. The support of her family and friends help get her through even the hardest of times. Now, the support from the community will help her maintain an optimistic outlook. With Zoe, we can go the distance for kindness.

Click here to see Zoe’s story: youtube.com