Bon Secours St. Francis Health System has named Shauna Johnson the winner of its inaugural “Universe of You” contest.
Johnson is a patient at the St. Francis Cancer Center, who nominated her boyfriend, Mike Bays – another cancer patient. The two met through a dating website, prior to Shauna’s diagnosis. She found out on their first date that Mike was battling multiple myeloma. Shauna began tagging along for his chemo treatments, and the pair quickly fell in love only for Shauna to discover she had lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma – an incurable blood cancer, and similar to Mike’s cancer.
“I was afraid, but I had seen how to handle the disease with grace and positivity because of Mike. As I continue my battle, he is my rock and my inspiration and yes...the center of my universe,” wrote Shauna.
Both Shauna and Mike are now in remission, though they realize their incurable cancers could return at any time.
We first learned of this couple when Shauna submitted an entry about Mike for our Universe of You contest. At Bon Secours, we understand that every family is a universe – a network of people who love, and support, and count on one other to be there. Thus, we strive to deliver health care for the “Universe of You” – providing the care you need to stay strong for those who need you.
To celebrate this campaign, we held a contest inviting individuals to tell us about someone at the center of their universe. Shauna’s submission received the most votes, making her the winner. She received a spa gift card as her prize. Shauna jokingly says she’ll consider sharing with Mike.