Today’s extraordinary, life-changing story is about Shane Burcaw. Shane, an incredible human being, has been in a wheelchair since the tender age of 2. He was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy – a genetic disease that makes muscles weak and waste away.
He is now 29 years old, and this is his inspirational story on being incredibly strong-willed and finding true love.
The Story of His Life
A few years ago, Shane got the attention of “The Office” superstar Rainn Wilson – our favorite character from the show, Dwight Schrute. Rainn instantly fell in love with Shane’s life story and made a short documentary on him.
Soon after the documentary aired, Shane received immense love and support from worldwide. He received emails from strangers telling him how inspired they were by his story and incredible willpower to smile through the pain. Among one of those emails, one was different – from a girl named Hannah.
Finding True Love
Shane remembers how he felt by Hannah’s email:
“Almost every email I received told me that I was an inspiration — and not in a good way. Hannah’s email didn’t reference my disability at all.”
“She complimented my humor and what we had in common. She used parentheses in her email in a way that like just did it for me.”
After realizing Hannah was interested in being with Shane, he got a little worried about it. He continues:
“I felt like a cliché, like the jealous disabled guy who can’t be there and is worried his mega-hot girlfriend is gonna find a better mega-hot guy.”
But Hannah was different; she truly loved Shane for his intelligence, wit, and strength.
Hannah talks about how Shane made her feel:
“I hadn’t met anybody that I really wanted that much time with.”
Shane & Hannah Get Married
In 2020, the couple got married, making many people jealous because society is cruel, and some people can never be happy for others because of their insecurities.
Speaking about how people react when they see the two together, Shane spoke on how people never perceive Hannah as his wife:
“When I do say, ‘No, this is my wife.’ People’s jaws hit the floor, and they say, ‘Oh, wow, good for you.’”
Shane also spoke about how his intelligence and wit have made most of his problems easy for him:
“I developed a very thick skin early on. I think that’s kind of where my sense of humor and my sarcasm were born from because otherwise, I’d be upset every day.”
When random men see the couple together, they instantly get jealous and tell Hannah she can do better – to which she shuts them off while her husband laughs at them. Speaking about their intimacy, Shane said:
“Our intimacy benefits from my disability. A big thing for me is that our intimacy is not just me enjoying it, and that relates to my burden complex,”
Talking about how happy he is with Hannah in his life, Shane said:
“I feel for the first time in my life like I am not a burden because Hannah is wholly there for me and doesn’t feel burdened by me.”
The couple recently appeared on StyleLikeU, where they spoke in-depth about their lives together; watch it below:
Shane Burcaw – A True Inspiration
Shane Burcaw has written a book called “Laughing At My Nightmare,” which is also the name of his charity website where he spreads awareness about Muscular Dystrophy. Shane, if you ever read this, thank you for being you!
You can follow Shane’s journey on his Instagram here & donate to his charity here.
Sources:
- StyleLikeU – Laughing At Your Ableist BS: Shane & Hannah Burcaw Hold A Mirror Up To Your Limited Idea of Love
- Images & Featured Image via Shane Burcaw on Instagram
What are your thoughts on Shane’s incredible life story? Talk to us in the comments below!
I think this is awesome .wish that everyone would think like you
I think it’s so stupid he can’t make babies. Like my man you should have been aborted
You should have been aborted.
Wow you’re an awful person, you don’t deserve to be responsible for an innocent human being. What if they come out with a disability or develop a disease?!?
Ur a disgusting human Sarah, karma will take care of u?
You are vile