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By BEN BRAGDON - The last few months of Shawn Mills' life have been quite a roller coaster. Last fall, Mills, a seventh-grader at Greenville Middle School, received a surprise letter informing him he had been nominated to the People to People Student Ambassador Program. Only a face-to-face interview lie between Shawn and a sumrner trip to Australia. But before he could complete that final step, Shawn fell ill. After a trip to C.A. Dean Hospital in Greenville, he was sent to EMMC in Bangor, where he was diagnosed with a ruptured appendix. The illness would keep him from school for three months, and he wouldn't leave the hospital for 33 days. "We scheduled the interview four times," said Jenn Mills, Shawn's mother. "We ended up having a phone interview because they felt bad he was so sick." While at EMMC, Shawn got to know the nursing staff, who joked with him and kept his spirits up. He also met other kids, some with serious illnesses that meant they would never leave the hospital. "I thought I was bad," Shawn said of the brave patients. "Some of them had cancer." Even through the illness, which took 30 lbs. from his five-foot, 110-lbs. frame, Shawn worked to gather the recommendations needed for the Australia trip, and now, back at almost full health, he is ready for his adventure in the Outback. The People to People program, founded by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1956 to foster peace and understanding across national lines, will bring around 50 students on the trip with Shawn. Over 19 days, they will meet with government officials, iteract with local students and families, and learn about the Australian way of life. The students will also get a chance to check out some of the nation's natural wonders. "My favorite thing is probably going snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef," Shawn said last week. The students in the program meet once a month to get to know each other as well as the leaders who will oversee the trip. The students get homework after each meeting as they learn about Australia, its history and its geography. The Mills', who live at Pittston Farm, 20 miles northwest of Rockwood, are busy raising the $6,500 tuition needed for the trip, plus any extra money Shawn may need once he is there. On Friday, the students in the program held an auction in Augusta to raise funds. Shawn donated a weekend at Tomhegan Lodge on Moosehead Lake and lift tickets to Sugarloaf. He is also raffling off a week-long stay at Pittston Farm. A number of community organizations have stepped forward to help Shawn, and he plans to pay them back. "I want to get a lot of souvenirs, and I am going to buy a lot of postcards," he said. "I am sending postcards to everyone that has helped." Shawn also will attend community meetings when he gets back to tell about his trip and show off photographs and souvenirs. On April 13, the American Legion in Greenville will hold a benefit dinner at 6 p.m. for Shawn, complete with donated food from the cooks at Camp Kiev in Damariscotta. "You gotta have dessert," said Shawn of the dinner. "That's all I am worried about." For more information about Shawn's trip, or to help in any way, call Jenn Mills at 280-0000 or email pittstonfarmhouse@hughes.net.
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