‘On June 4th, 2018, our world shifted. My husband Sholto McKeown — father to Australian Dolphins Swim Team sisters Taylor and Kaylee — was diagnosed with a grade 4 Glioblastoma brain tumour. Just days later, on June 8th, he underwent surgery to remove 95% of the tumour.
That week was a blur. We sat around the dinner table with our daughters to talk through our next steps — the treatment ahead, the financial reality, and the uncertainty that comes with a diagnosis like this.
Unbeknown to us, Taylor quietly set up a GoFundMe. Within 20 minutes, it had raised nearly $2,000 — and eventually over $17,000. We were overwhelmed and humbled by the kindness of strangers. That generosity helped cover Sholto’s radiation, chemotherapy, and ongoing care.
Then, another swim family approached us with the idea of a fundraising concert. At first, we hesitated — but after some reflection, Sholto felt it was the perfect way to give back. His way of paying forward the support we’d received, and helping others facing the same cruel disease.
In 2017, I lost my aunt to brain cancer — diagnosed just after Christmas and gone far too soon. Our family began supporting the Mark Hughes Foundation then, and it felt right to carry that support forward.
In just three months, we organised Sholto’s Hope – the McKeown Charity Fundraiser, proudly supporting the MHF and the fight to find a cure. We raised almost $11, 000.
It was Sholto’s dream to see his daughters compete at the Olympics. While he managed to watch Kaylee’s older sister, Taylor, compete in Rio in 2016, he sadly couldn’t see Kaylee in Tokyo due to the COVID-19 pandemic.. Sholto was just 53 years young when he passed away in August 2020, myself and his two girls by his bedside.
Kaylee has since gone on to become an official ambassador for the Mark Hughes Foundation and Taylor continues to support their cause whenever she can.
This is our story. And we share it in the hope that it brings awareness, connection, and real change.’
Sharon is currently trekking NZ’s Southern Alps with 18 other ladies and raised another $11,000 for MHF. You can support Sharon’s fundraising here.
