Classroom welcomes student's return

RIVER CLUB — For 10-year-old Shane Hense, learning about decimals in Amy Hood’s fifth-grade class proved more exciting than Christmas morning.

After having 10 back surgeries over the summer related to a severe case of sclerosis, Shane returned to Braden River Elementary Dec. 1 for the first time this school year.

“Shane has thought the Thanksgiving week was the longest ever,” his mom, Lucy, said laughing. “(Monday morning), he was awake. At 7 o’clock, he said, ‘Can we go now?’

“Before all this happened — it was like dragging him to school,” she said. “It’s pretty amazing. He is so sociable. He just wants to be with people. He was going stir crazy at home.”

Shane arrived promptly for his 8 a.m. safety patrol duties in the cafeteria, before starting class at 8:30 a.m.
As he pulls out the neon yellow safety-patrol belt, he says it was, perhaps, his favorite part of the day; he’s wanted to serve on the safety patrol since kindergarten.

Shane breaks into a smile as he talks about being with his friends and finally being in his classroom.

“I’m excited,” Shane said. “I was kind of jealous on the first day of school and I was at the hospital. The only way we could keep up was text. It’s been kind of boring.”

His classmates sent cards and even called him at home during his absence.

Hood kept Shane’s desk open and assigned to him all year.

“For him, knowing that he’s always been part of the class and not forgetting him — for him, that was big,” Lucy Hense said.

The Hense family took Shane for a spinal-and-pelvic fusion procedure in June, after one week of summer vacation. It was slated to be one of two surgeries, and he should have recovered by August. Instead, Lucy Hense said, Shane underwent 10 total surgeries, the last of which occurred Nov. 6.

Lucy Hense, a physical therapist, took five weeks off work, in total.

Normally Shane, who has a prosthetic leg, plays kickball and other sports at school. But because of complications from the surgeries, Shane will be in a wheelchair for at least the next six months.

Lucy Hense said the family plans to get Shane a power wheelchair so he can propel himself.
Shane’s friends and classmates aren’t worried.

They may even be more excited to have him back than Shane is. They admire his positive attitude, upbeat personality, perseverance and confidence, they said.

Shane’s self-described best friend, Micah Martinez, played video games with Shane over the summer.

“He’s a really good friend,” Micah said. “He doesn’t hold grudges. He’s happy. Every night I would ask myself, ‘When is Shane coming back?’ It was really boring without him.”

Hood agreed: “He’s just very inspirational and the kids love him. I feel like our class is complete now.”

STUDENT SUPPORT
Braden River students and their families attended fundraising events for Shane Hense. Classmate William McBride, right, and others sold Team Shane T-shirts, too. In total, the fundraisers generated more than $4,000 for the family.

“They have been such a burden of relief for us,” Shane’s mom, Lucy Hense, said. “We didn’t have to worry.”