Band of brothers takes up cause for O’Nan
(This article first appeared in the March print edition of the Hendersonian.)
Permission or forgiveness?
It was the latter for Henderson police officers spearheading a plan to help fellow brother in blue Stu O’Nan, 37, who is battling a rare form of cancer called Sarcoma.
Diagnosed in late 2024 and followed by surgery in January of 2025, they watched as O’Nan jumped through the hoops of doctors visits, chemotherapy and aftercare.
“He was declared cancer free after that,” said HPD Lt. Daniel Lehman. “He healed up. Everything was going well.”
And then in a nightmarish form of deja vu, the process started all over again in late 2025.
Getting the sense that this second round of treatment would be physically, emotionally and financially taxing on O’Nan and his family, Lehman said he and others at HPD knew it was time to step up and develop a plan that could provide help for future needs.
“He’s been overwhelmed, and he’s not one to ask for anything,” Lehman said. “So me and HPD Sgt. Eric Ramsey and Henderson County Sheriff’s Deputy Jonas Schweikhard, Officer Payne Bickett, who are friends with him, we reached out to organizations who helped him out financially.”
Those groups include 911 Gives Hope and the Kentucky Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation.
“With cancer and treatment, you have all these expenses,” Lehman said.
O’Nan’s treatment requires him to be in Nashville five days a week. “If you pay for a hotel room every night for (several) weeks, that’s expensive. He’s been able to get into the Hope House, where he can stay free. However, he still has to pay for food and travel.”
So, while those contributions from the organizations were appreciated, Lehman said he couldn’t let go of the idea that something more needed to happen.
“Everywhere I went – I felt like I couldn’t walk through Walmart without people stopping me and asking me about him. It was the same scenario at the gas station or at Coffee with a Cop … because so many people know him,” Lehman said.
An intensely private person, O’Nan said during the first phase of his cancer fight, he told his coworkers, but didn’t put anything on social media until the surgery.
“I only made the Facebook posts because there were a lot of texts and people wanting to check up on me, and I wasn’t able to keep up with it,” he said. “My second cancer journey wasn’t on Facebook until my coworkers let the cat out of the bag with their posts and events. I began getting lots of texts asking about my situation. I knew I had a lot of people that were worried about me and were wanting to be supportive, so I thought posting it on Facebook would be the best way to keep everyone up to speed.”
With O’Nan’s fight now gaining community focus, Lehman said it became clear that an event needed to be organized where people could do something to demonstrate support and send encouragement.
“Through brainstorming we came up with an idea,” he said.
And that’s how the Stuart Strong benefit was born.
Lehman and crew reached out to the manager at Walmart who gave permission for them to hold the community support drive on the premises. The Henderson County High School Fine Arts Department and the carpentry department got on board by having students craft signs and photo frames for folks to sign or with which to take pictures. All would be posted on Facebook and later sent to O’Nan for encouragement.
In addition, Lehman said Ragle Inc., the construction company that led construction of the I-69 corridor, donated a highway road sign which said, “Stuart Strong.”
“It really lit up,” Lehman said.
“We sent out messages to the community, and let them know we would be at Walmart if they wanted to come. The date was set for Dec. 22. We knew everyone would be Christmas shopping,” he said.
And no one told O’Nan—at least not right away.
“Honestly, no one ever asked or informed me they were going to do any of the fundraisers/ show of support for me,” O’Nan said. “I believe that’s because they knew I don’t like the attention. I think they’d been communicating with my wife Macey about the events, but even she had kept that a secret from me… for the same reason.”
Meanwhile, Courtney Greene, O’Nan’s ex-wife, had developed an idea of her own—a T-shirt campaign.
“The fundraiser took shape when it became clear how demanding this next phase of treatment would be,” she said. “The goal was twofold: to help relieve the financial burden facing Stuart and his wife, Macey, and to give Stuart’s children a tangible way to feel involved in helping their dad.”Greene said the T-shirt sale launched on Nov. 24.
“After sharing the idea with Macey the night before and receiving her enthusiastic support, the planning began immediately. The shirts were designed personally, with production handled by Abba Promotions, who not only delivered high-quality shirts but also generously donated toward the cost. Their support allowed more of the proceeds to go directly to Stuart and his family,” she said.
“The fundraiser ran independently through Facebook and word of mouth, separate from the Walmart fundraiser held in December…The T-shirt campaign quickly took on a life of its own,” Greene said. “Priced at $20 each, the shirts sold far beyond expectations. The first sale moved more than 100 shirts. Due to overwhelming demand, a second order was placed, resulting in another 100-plus shirts sold. While the shirts are no longer available at this time, the impact of the effort continues to be felt.
“The kids played an important role throughout the process,” she said. “When the shirts arrived, they helped organize them and assisted with distribution during pickups. These were small but meaningful ways to feel connected to supporting their dad.”
The big day
After all the planning and secrecy, the Stuart Strong day in December arrived.
“We were all right there,” Lehman said. “Some of us took vacation days to man that spot—me, Bickett, Jonas, Chief Billy Bolin and Assistant Chief Bob Shoultz took vacation days to help.”
“We all felt like there’s nothing we could do to help him battle the cancer itself, but this is something we could do,” Lehman said.
Even with the organizing and apparent community interest, no one really knew what to expect. And then the people started coming.
“It was cool because people would come up and tell us how they knew Stu—they taught him in school, they know his parents, and some came just because they themselves have battled cancer,” Lehman said. “Henderson County Sheriff Chip Stauffer, Mayor Brad Staton and City Manager Dylan Ward all came and showed their support.”
Throughout the day, people would stop by and drop off cards or checks or sign the cutouts made by Henderson County High School students.
“We were able to raise some funds for him,” Lehman said. “People gave him gift cards, and there were quite a few who brought sealed envelopes for him. We had a five-gallon bucket with a hole in the top and people just dropped money in. One man brought rolls of quarters to donate. One guy gave us a custom ‘Cancer Sucks’ sticker that he made.”
The Stuart Strong event took off in a manner that astounded its organizers.
“I was blown away by the support coming from the community,” said Schweikhard, O’Nan’s best friend. “It showed a different side of Henderson.”
Even more amazing, he said, is that many of those who came to support O’Nan were people he’d arrested or had some type of interaction with as a police officer.
“They said Stu was ‘very kind, treated me like a human when I was at my lowest,’” Schweikhard said. “Many told us they’d seen the posts on Facebook and wanted to help. Even people who were on the wrong side of the law saw a different side of police officers through dealing with Stu. They learned that we really do want to help them.”
With the incredible turnout and awe-inspiring support, it was finally time to tell O’Nan what they’d done.
“He sent me a message that said, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to punch you or hug you,’” Lehman said. “He doesn’t like attention. But we all love him, and want to help him. We don’t know what the future holds, and we don’t want him in a position where he can’t care for his family.”
O’Nan told the Hendersonian that his friends did an outstanding job with their Stuart Strong subterfuge.
“I wasn’t aware of the Wal-Mart event (or other fundraisers) until I saw it pop up on my Facebook,” he said. “As soon as I saw it, I was immediately embarrassed. I am a private person. I don’t want people to feel like they need to help me or go out of their way to help me. I have always been the type that wants to help others, but don’t want to be helped out myself.
“With that being said, I was very appreciative and honored that people cared enough to do things for me to help with my stress – stress from the diagnosis itself and the financial burden that would be created.”
Schweikhard said he and others have reassured O’Nan that the kindness shown him by the community is a giant ‘thank you’ for his service to them.
“I tell him they want to help because you’ve given your life to help.”
Lehman, who has worked with and been friends with O’Nan for 15 years, said he will do anything he can for the man who has meant so much to him and his family.
“When my daughter Scarlett, now 8, was about 4 or 5 we all got together at someone’s house just to hang out,” he said. “Stu spent the afternoon pushing her on the swing. She went home and colored her arm because she wanted artwork on her arm like Stu (tattoos).”
Schweikhard had similar stories.
“LEOs (law enforcement officers) have a dark sense of humor, and we get each other,” he said. “When you get to know Stu, he’s very caring. He’s all into being your friend if he really cares about you.
“Other than relatives, he was the first person to hold my daughter, who is now 6,” Schweikhard said.
“There was one time I was in training in Richmond,” he said. “My wife had a serious medical situation which started right as I was in training. Stu went out of his way to take care of my kids, check on my wife and just went above and beyond. He’s not just my friend, he’s family. He loves my kids and wife, like they’re family.”
Band of brothers
More than 15 years ago, O’Nan had a decision to make.
“I was a couple months away from completing my degree in accounting at the University of Evansville when I decided to participate in what’s known as ‘ride-alongs’ with police officers in my family—one at the Owensboro PD, and one at the Henderson PD,” he said.
A career aptitude test taken in elementary school had pointed to a profession in law enforcement as a possible fit for O’Nan’s personality, he said. Despite that, it wasn’t until college that he said he took some steps to see what working in law enforcement would involve.
“After the ride-alongs, I knew this was the career I had to pursue for several reasons—I enjoyed helping people, it was exciting, no two days are ever the same, the bond and brotherhood among officers, and the desire to protect my community,” he said, adding that he did earn his accounting degree as something to fall back on.
Fast forward to the cancer diagnosis in 2024 to the present day.
“The police department has been amazing with making sure I have the time off I need,” O’Nan said. “Many officers have expressed donating their sick time to me so I can take off and heal and not have to worry about a paycheck. However, I intend on coming back as soon as I can.
“I can’t stress enough how much I appreciate my fellow officers working to make sure I’m taken care of,” O’Nan said. “This really is a brotherhood that you don’t get with a normal job. It’s one of the reasons I knew I wanted to be a police officer.
March 16
O’Nan’s next surgery has been scheduled for March 16.
Lehman said more fundraisers and/or events are on the horizon.
“People care about him, and want him to get better,” he said. “So, we are brainstorming, but we haven’t locked anything down.”
However, for those wanting to send cards or notes of well-wishes to O’Nan they can be mailed to the Henderson Police Department, 1990 Barrett Boulevard, Henderson KY 42420.
“Just put Stuart O’Nan on the card,” Lehman said, “And we will make sure they get to him.”
O’Nan said of the community outpouring, “I have been very surprised throughout this journey with the support I have received.
“It’s amazing to see how people, who I have not ever met, are willing to show up, donate, send cards, and/or give meaningful gifts,” he said. “I wish I was able to directly meet with the people that showed up because I want everyone to know how much I appreciate their support.”
