Better Together: A Memoir of Persistence, Inclusion, and a Family's Power to Overcome

When parents Nichole and Shaun Evans are informed that their one-year-old son, Shamus, has a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, the growing family refuses to let it limit them. They do whatever is necessary to help Shamus participate in everything he wants to try. One of those things is a passion for running. As soon as he is able to safely sit in a jogging stroller, Shamus rolls with dad as Shaun trains with Olympic dreams in his heart.

A series of injuries and subsequent surgeries provide setbacks to Shaun’s athletic career, but then Shamus presents the family with a goal that would inspire them all: a run across America! His dream is to roll from coast to coast in his running chair while promoting inclusion by donating such chairs to kids along the way. The Evans family then teams up with the not-for-profit organization Ainsley’s Angels of America to make Shamus’s BIG dream a reality.

Better Together recounts the family’s 3,205 mile journey across the continental United States, including moments of hardships, happiness, and surprises. Shaun finds both his motivation and his stride in knowing that stiff, sore, and cramped legs are a daily occurrence for his son.

With Nichole and Simon’s unwavering support as pit crew, the hospitality of Americans en route, and Shamus’s optimism leading the way, the family demonstrates how anything is possible and accomplishments are so much better when they are achieved together!

Shaun Evans is a physical therapist and distance runner in Upstate New York where he resides with his wife, Nichole, and two sons, Shamus and Simon. In 2015, at Shamus’s request, he made an attempt to run across America. Better Together is a memoir of Shaun’s upbringing and a recap of the Evans family’s epic adventure from coast to coast.

From his upbringing in rural Upstate New York to an attempt to run across the United States of America, Shaun Evans chronicles both challenging and motivational moments in his life in Better Together. Shaun’s story begins small on his family’s farm as his parents encourage him to run laps around the house to burn off excess energy. He then learns to harness that energy into athletic and academic pursuits.

As the author grows, so does his story; from lessons at home, in the classroom, and on various fields of play, Shaun takes us on an introspective journey. Follow along with his embarrassment and distress when he has to make amends for being a bully. Empathize with his hope and despair as he and his teammates strive for their first win on the basketball court. Feel his pain as he recuperates from a shard of glass in his foot that derails his early running career.

Throughout the account, Shaun sets his aspirations high and is tenacious in his pursuit of those goals. As Evans reflects on his youth, persistence and determination resonate as common themes. His work ethic in school and on the soccer field leads him to Notre Dame College where he continues to strive for success and eventually meets the love of his life, Nichole, while he simultaneously trains for his first marathon. Evans soon realizes his mind and his legs have a propensity for endurance, and he decides to set his sights on qualifying for the Olympic Marathon trials.

His blog, Educate to Empower, can be found at ainsleysangels.org.

Follow Shaun on social media, @power2push.