08/23/2012 – Eric James McLean tragically passes away at just 28 years old among the presence of family and close friends on his older brother’s 30th birthday. Obituary
08/18/2012 – Both ex-Milwaukee Brewer and World Series Champion Larry Hisle, and ex-Green Bay Packer and Superbowl Champion William Henderson visit Eric in Two Rivers. He wears both a World Series ring and a Superbowl ring at the same time. Thank you Mr. Hisle and Mr. Henderson!
08/14/2012 – Eric posts his Final Confession video on Youtube, and it goes viral achieving over 500,000 hits in just 2 days, and to date has over 1 million hits.
07/17/2012 – Eric turns 28 years old and celebrates his 1 year anniversary with Cari.
04/25/2012 – Eric is informed that his cerebrospinal fluid is clean and that the brain cancer is in remission! This means Eric has beaten cancer for the 6th time – this time in his brain. However, it is the leukemia that exists in the rest of his body defines the terminal prognosis. Despite oncologists making suggestions to cease treatment, Eric fights on. This 7th occurrence is the final battle.
04/17/2012 – Eric receives news that his brain cancer persists despite what we were previously told. Further intrathecal spinal/brain chemotherapy is needed.
03/24/2012 – Eric and his wife Cari receive a phone call informing them that the bone marrow transplant that Eric received has failed and that they need to come talk with the oncologists about “quality of life versus quantity of life.” With the failed transplant, Eric’s chances of being cured are gone.
03/20/2012 – TMJ4 Milwaukee airs “Bucket List Guy continues to battle after leukemia returns”
03/13/2012 – TMJ4 Milwaukee airs “Bucket List Guy” undergoes brain surgery”
03/07/2012 – Eric has an MRI performed on his head for some severe headaches he’s been having. A mass of AML cells were discovered. He has officially relapsed to face the disease for a 6th time.
02/14/2012 – Today’s TMJ4 in Milwaukee airs “Bucket List Guy: A story of love and survival”
11/16/2011 – Eric receives his 3rd stem cell transplant from an anonymous donor in Europe.
11/09/2011 – Eric’s tentative 3rd stem cell transplant date is postponed another day due to unknown complications with the donor.
11/08/2011 – Charlie Mathews of the Herald Times Reporter writes an article titled “McLean of Two Rivers fights on against leukemia”
10/24/2011 – Eric and his older brother Mike traveled to Madison, WI and donated $10,000 on behalf of LIFE to the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research. Later that evening they are interviewed by Leigh Mills live in the studio on NBC15!
08/24/2011 – Eric achieves remission status for the 5th time after just 1 chemotherapy treatment!
08/10/2011 – Eric begins a series of high temperatures and fevers for the next 2 weeks. Doctors are baffled at which bug has him infected, but they suspect it is viral pneumonia. If his white blood cell counts return to a functioning level he may have a chance to fight this off!
07/30/2011 – 6 day regimen begins of a Ara-C and Cladrabine cocktail (“Clag”) and neupogen. The neupogen is meant to spur rapid growth of the white blood cells, which normally seems dangerous, but it helps the chemotherapy identify them as dividing and kills them.
07/27/2011 – Eric relapses to fight AML for the 5th time and is admitted inpatient to Froedtert’s BMT unit.
07/17/2011 – Eric and Cari leave for their honeymoon
07/16/2011 – Eric and Cari officially tie the knot on their wedding day in Manitowoc, WI!
07/14/2011 – Eric, his brothers, his Dad, and his friends celebrate his bachelor party in Milwaukee, WI at the Harley Davidson Museum and the Miller Brewery Tour!
06/10/2011 – Aaron Rodgers and dozens of other Green Bay Packers meet Eric at the Greg Jennings golf tournament.
05/04/2011 – Eric officially enters remission status for the 4th time!
05/04/2011 – Runner’s World magazine calls to inform us that Team LIFE will be included in the August/September edition!
04/28/2011 – Bone marrow biopsy performed, results pending
03/26/2011 – Eric stands up as Best Man in his older brother Mike’s wedding
02/28/2011 – The Lighthouse Inn in Two Rivers, WI hosts a benefit for Eric to help him with costs associated with his recent relapse.
01/17/2011 – DLI Treatment begins at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee
01/12/2011 – Bone marrow biopsy results are positive. Levels show that 1% of the cells in his blood are blast cells. Eric’s leukemia has returned. Pray for him, give him the strength he needs to beat this for a 4th time.
01/11/2011 – Today Eric visited the classroom of Lindsay Draeger, a teacher at Pewaukee Lake Elementary School. She and her class have raised a total of $256 this holiday season for L.I.F.E.! This means that between 2009 and 2010, her class has donated a combined $1,056!!
12/11/2010 – Eric attends the Celebration of Life party at Froedtert Hospital. He donates a Schwinn recumbent exercise bike, games, and money to the bone marrow transplant unit on behalf of L.I.F.E.!
12/03/2010 – It is decided Eric will need hip replacement surgery on his right hip. The chemotherapy he’s received over the years caused the ball of his femur to weaken and break, and the blood supply has ceased.
10/30/2010 – Bone marrow biopsy results turn up negative
09/12/2010 – Eric and Mike meet again at the finish line of the Ironman Wisconsin. L.I.F.E. took 3rd place in the Janus Charity challenge with a total of $14,234 fundraised!
07/31/2010 – Bone marrow biopsy results are negative. Eric gives a speech at the Relay for Life in Two Rivers, WI.
07/24/2010 – The L.I.F.E. website was hacked. All articles and information between January and July 2010 are wiped clean. Mike and Eric are working to replace them.
07/22/2010 – Eric goes in for another follow-up bone marrow biopsy, results should be in next week.
07/17/2010 – Eric celebrates his 26th birthday.
12/30/2009 – Eric goes in for another follow-up appointment, and begins to move back down to Milwaukee to begin working once again at Harley Davidson
12/30/2009 – Milwaukee Brewer MVP, All-Star, and Olympic Gold Medalist Ben Sheets donates $250 to LIFE
12/21/2009 – Pewaukee Elementary School Kindergartners, taught by Lindsay Draeger, make a donation of $800!
11/26/2009 – WLUK Fox 11 and WTMJ 4 NBC both air clips of Eric on the news for Thanksgiving. We have a lot to be thankful for this year!
11/20/2009 – Eric undergoes Donor Lymphocyte Infusion (DLI) from his sister Lindsey that were harvested from her the day before.
11/12/2009 – Lindsey has fallen ill and the DLI is postponed until she is healthy enough to donate. Also www.donate2life.net got a bit of a facelift and is now www.givetolife.org
11/05/2009 – Blood testing begins on Eric and Lindsey for the ensuing DLI procedure that is scheduled to take place on 11/12/2009.
10/30/2009 – Initial tests show that bone marrow is still clear of any obvious leukemia
10/02/2009 – Eric receives another week long round of Decitabine followed by another dose of Mylotarg
09/16/2009 – Results are in from Eric’s latest bone marrow biopsy – “No obvious Leukemia” is present! Because they cannot see it in their tests though, the Doctors have said that it is still there. As Eric says, “Even if you can’t see Charlie in the bushes, keeping shooting!”
09/13/2009 – Eric begins another full week (5 days) of Decitabine chemotherapy, followed by another dose of the Mylotarg.
09/04/2009 – Eric is contacted by the Viper Club of America to see if he would like to drive a Dodge Viper again!
09/01/2009 – Preliminary results come back that the Decitabine/Mylotarg treatment is working as the cancer cells have been reduced by half!
08/31/2009 – Bone Marrow Biopsy performed to determine the efficacy of the new treatment of Decitabine and Mylotarg
08/26/2009 – Larry Hisle gives Eric a VIP tour of Miller Park where he gets to meet several of the players
08/22/2009 – Team L.I.F.E. dominates at the Manitowoc YMCA Triathlon and the Double Dam Bar & Grill hosts a Volleyball tournament to help raise money for L.I.F.E.
08/17/2009 – Daily treatment of Decitabine begun, followed by another dose in combination with Mylotarg on August 21, 2009
08/15/2009 – Larry Hisle drove up to Two Rivers to visit Eric
08/13/2009 – Eric learns he is not in remission
08/06/2009 – Chris Sauer Memorial Motorcycle ride donates proceeds to L.I.F.E.
08/05/2009 – Eric released from Froedtert Hospital
07/17/2009 – Eric turns 25 years old while receiving chemotherapy.
07/13/2009 – Eric admitted to Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee for induction chemotherapy
07/12/2009 – Eric celebrates his 25th birthday in Two Rivers with a huge party, though his actual birthday will be on the 17th while he is in the hospital
06/28/2009 – Josh Laurin, 20, Erik Malach, 19, and Eddie Snyder, 21, golfed 100 holes Thursday at Eastwin Valley Golf Course, breaking the Eastwin record of 72 holes in one day as a fundraiser to help benefit L.I.F.E.
06/15/2009 – Thanks to some very dear friends, Eric flew to Las Vegas with brothers Mike and Steve and friends Nathan and Jason for a week of gambling and debauchery
06/14/2009 – Eric throws the very first opening pitch at a Brewers game!
06/11/2009 – Eric, brothers Mike & Steve, cousin Matt, and friends Jason and Nathan all go skydiving!
06/10/2009 – Herald Times Reporter prints “Two Rivers native, 24, gets third cancer diagnosis, authors bucket list”
06/05/2009 – Eric’s AML relapses for the second time and is told he is terminal on the same day as his Mom’s birthday.
05/15/2009 – On Eric’s 1 year anniversary of being in remission post stem cell transplant, Mike gives Eric a gold ring with “Blood Brothers for L.I.F.E. 10-21-03” engraved on the inside.
09/07/2008 – Eric watches Mike cross the finish line again at Ironman Wisconsin, L.I.F.E. raises nearly $16,000 for cancer research.
07/17/2008 – Eric turns 24 years old, Mike visits.
05/03/2008 – The Two Rivers High School puts on a Basketball Benefit for Eric
04/04/2008 – Eric receives a stem cell transplant from his younger sister Lindsey
04/03/2008 – Herald Times Reporter prints “Trials of a Transplant”
04/01/2008 – Green Bay Press Gazette and the Herald Times Reporter print “Down But Not Out” – Page 2
03/03/2008 – Eric and Mike go live on NBC15 in Madison
12/24/2007 – Eric’s AML relapses for the first time and is immediately admitted into Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee
12/16/2007 – Eric graduates from UW Whitewater
10/21/2007 – Eric’s 4 year anniversary of being in remission post stem cell transplant
07/17/2007 – Eric turns 23 years old.
10/21/2006 – Eric’s 3 year anniversary of being in remission post stem cell transplant
09/06/2006 – Eric finally gets to cross finish line with Mike at the Ironman Wisconsin
07/17/2006 – Eric turns 22 years old.
10/21/2005 – Eric’s 2 year anniversary of being in remission post stem cell transplant
07/17/2005 – Eric turns 21 years old.
10/21/2004 – Eric’s 1 year anniversary of being in remission post stem cell transplant
11/26/2003 – Eric gives Mike a gold ring with “Blood Brothers for L.I.F.E. 10-21-03” over Thanksgiving dinner
10/21/2003 – Eric receives a stem cell transplant from his older brother Mike
10/11/2003 – Mike presents check for nearly $12,000 to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society after giving a speech at Light the Night in New Glarus, WI
09/07/2003 – Eric’s older brother Mike competes in Ironman Wisconsin, L.I.F.E. brings in nearly $12,000 for cancer research
09/03/2003 – Badger Herald prints “Heart of Iron”
09/02/2003 – Wisconsin State Journal prints “Soft-hearted Ironman”
07/17/2003 – L.I.F.E.’s first inception, Eric turns 19 years old
06/23/2003 – Eric was first diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) – undergoes treatment at St. Luke’s Hospital in Milwaukee and is later transferred to Froedtert.