Today, we are going to talk about Shane Burcaw and his net worth.
There are a lot of people who become relatively known on the internet. Being connected to everyone in the world through a bunch of cables under the sea seems insane. But that’s how we get an internet connection in our homes.
I have written a bit about people who have become famous on social media. There is Jennifer Houghton who became known for decorating her home during major holidays. Then there’s Greg O’Gallagher who used social media as a tool to promote his business. I feel like everybody who gets thousands of followers leverage that to lead to good causes or help them earn money. (It’s often the latter, for the most part.)
Sometimes people use social media for good. I think that there are still instances where we learn more about things we normally don’t. Despite social media being a hellscape most of the time, there are still those glimmers of light every now and then.
I still don’t know where I’m trying to go with this. But you probably going to find out as you keep reading. I don’t know exactly how I should be writing this. Because it feels like I’m walking a bit on a tightrope.
Shane Burcaw: Quick Details
- Full Name: Shane Burcaw
- Birthdate: May 28, 1992
- Place of birth: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
- Occupation: Author, motivational speaker
- Estimated net worth: $1 million
The Early Life of Shane Burcaw
Shane was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He was born with a condition known as spinal muscular atrophy. It’s a condition that slows the growth of his body. He has average-sized adult head but his lower body is similar to that of a child.
All things considered, Shane managed to live a fairly normal life. He still managed to go to school and all that. But his condition definitely complicates a lot of things. But his disability didn’t really prevent him from making friends and being sociable. He’s just a pretty friendly guy who tells jokes and plays video games.
At some point, probably during his high years, Shane decided that he should start a blog. I guess everybody just had blogs then. Social media was slowly becoming a thing that a lot of people used. So it kind of made sense?
He wrote his first ever post on Tumblr with the title “This Is Probably A Bad Idea.” In the post, Shane basically gives an overview about his condition. The title of his blog definitely matches the vibe of his writing. Somehow, that post wasn’t just a one-off. You know how somebody starts a new project but doesn’t continue it?
The Claim to Fame
Sure enough, Shane Burcaw continued writing on his blog. He had gotten a bunch of followers. Does that matter? Yeah, it kind of does. The blog slowly grew. At the time, Shane was pursuing a degree in English.
He was very gracious with his time despite being busy with studying. I guess Tumblr was the best place for him to start a blog. There were so many ways that people on the website would communicate with each. A lot of people, unsurprisingly, ask about he does certain things despite his condition. Everybody is just curious.
Around 2013, actor Rainn Wilson—who you may know as Dwight Schrute in the U.S. version of The Office—decided to produce a 21-minute video about Shane’s life. I guess at that point, a lot of people were sharing Shane’s blog on different social media platforms. Though it’s mainly Facebook and Twitter.
Shane Burcaw was already getting attention. But that video is what put it over the top. So around Shane’s junior year, he and his cousin Sarah decided to start a non-profit. They obviously decided to name the non-profit based on Shane’s blog. That was when Laughing At My Nightmare, Inc. was founded.
The non-profit aims to provide equipment need by people with disabilities. The type of equipment they need are unfortunately kind of expensive. So it’s great that the money that people donate lead to other people getting the stuff that they need.
The feature lead to the non-profit getting donations. It also lead to something else for Shane personally.
Finding Love
Somewhere else in the United States, Hannah Aylward was watching the documentary. She was impressed by Shane’s outlook in life despite his condition. So she decided to read the blog and learn more about him.
Eventually, she decided to send him an e-mail. At the end of it, Hannah mentions that she found him cute. Somehow, that lead to more exchanges between them. At some point, either Shane or Hannah visited one another.
By 2017, Shane left Pennsylvania to live with Hannah in Minnesota. Hannah basically took over the duties in assisting Shane from his parents. After a year of living together, Shane and Hannah decided to start a YouTube channel called Squirmy and Grubs. That’s their pet names for each other.
Initially, the channel was mainly targeted to Shane and Hannah’s relatives. They were doing a cross-country trip at the time they started their blog. It’s sort of similar to how some of Shane’s posts are like on his personal blog. But this around, it involved a lot more travelling together.
Somehow, Shane and Hannah were featured on a YouTube channel at aimed at children with disabilities. I guess their channel was linked in the description. And that lead to a ton of traffic to their channel. The internet, man. Such a weird way of becoming known.
Soon enough, they were getting thousands of views. Then that lead to them getting asked to do an interview for a bunch of talk shows. They were getting a lot of attention. Obviously, they used the fame in order to push for their advocacy.
Continuing the Work
Everything basically goes back to the non-profit. All of the attention that Shane and/or Hannah gets from what they do always leads back to their advocacy. It’s a very valiant effort of showing people what people with disability go through.
I think that their approach of talking about disabilities definitely helps remove some stigma. Like sometimes, you don’t really need to take pity on somebody with a disability. They are still people who have feelings.
Shane has since started doing speaking engagements around different schools and universities across the United States. He has done a lot since he has started his blog. You wouldn’t have expect things to blow up. But it’s been good to Shane thus far.
The two of them including the non-profit have done a lot of work in as many ways as they can. But the fight is never really over. You do have to consistently do the work.
Take the pandemic, for example. A lot of people seem to disregard people with complications just so that they wouldn’t wear masks. It affects people like Shane a lot more than somebody who just doesn’t want to wear a masks.
It takes a long time to convince people to never disregard people just because they have a disability or a condition. They’re still people at the end of the day.
So What Is Shane Burcaw’s Net Worth?
Shane has earned a considerable amount of money throughout the past decade or so. Even though most of the money that he earns through videos or speaking engagements go to the non-profit, he still managed to get a net worth of $1 million.
It’s amazing to see that Shane has managed to make use of the fame that he has received with the past couple of years. And it’s great that he is putting the recognition towards a good cause.
Even though Shane no longer posts on his Tumblr, he still continues to post videos on his YouTube channel and on other platforms. I sort of understand why people grow out of certain platforms. His blog on Tumblr has definitely been a big help to him.
As of this writing, Shane and Hannah got married. They also have a book out about relationships and disability. It’s amazing to see them push to make remove any kind of stigma that people have regarding disability. Like I said previously, it’s a hard journey that they seem intent on trekking.
There really isn’t much else that Shane and/or Hannah are doing. Aside from the YouTube and the book, they also have a podcast. I mean, who doesn’t have a podcast at this point?
They are also still busy with the non-profit. I don’t think they ever stop working. But I mean, work never really stops for any kind of advocacy. And it’s great to see them putting their heart out on everything that they do.
It is amazing to see what can happen on the internet. Despite everything being as shitty as it is, you can always find those moments of joy amidst the chaos.
I don’t think Shane would have reached this point in his life if it weren’t for the internet. Sometimes a small thing could suddenly become bigger the least you’d expect it to.
I really appreciate the work that Shane, Hannah and the rest of the team are doing.