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| I know it's been awhile since I updated Mark's progress, and felt it was time June 2002 Mark and his family were just here in IL to visit with all of us, and it was wonderful to see them! We all gave him huge hugs every chance we got...and thank the Lord that he is still with us :) June 29th 2002 I just got a call from my Mom, she had talked to Sussie, who told her that Marks Cancer is back :*( They knew before they came "home" to IL, but wanted to keep it to themselves so we wouldn't be upset. They are both great actors, since none of us picked up on anything while they were here. He goes in for a CAT scan on Monday, July 1st, so we will know more then, what kind, where it is, etc.... I will update as soon as I know more....please start praying again! July 16th 2002 Mark got the results of his scan back, and it showed that his cancer is defintely back... He talked to Dr. Blume at Stanford, who wants all of his siblings to get tested to see if we are a match for him...looks like another bone marrow transplant is in store. We are now just waiting to get the papers and vials from Stanford to arrive, so we can go have the test done, and send it back to see if we match...praying that one of us does! Mark starts high dose chemo on Monday, July 22nd, will wait 3 weeks and have another round, and 3 weeks later will do the transplant, if, God willing, all goes as planned.... This was so rough on him and his family before, he almost didn't make it through, please pray that he comes through this one ok! August 20th 2002 All of us siblings had the blood tests done, and sent out to Stanford, we were just awaiting the results....Mark got the results today, and NONE of us are a match! :( I think we are all in shock...we all thought one of us would be for sure... Now they are going to the National Register to see if they can find a match for him there...it can take anywhere from 2 weeks, to months to find one though...so it's back to waiting. Mark is pretty upbeat, still has his sense of humor, and is feeling a little better after finishing his last round of high-dose chemo...he was waiting for his blood test results when I talked to him, and said he thought they might be low, since he was getting light-headed when he stood up, so will probably go in for blood and platelets. Will update again as soon as I hear anything :) September 23rd 2002 Just got word that they have found the PERFECT match for Mark! Yahooo!!! :D He finished another round of chemo last friday, so will wait 4 weeks and then go in for the transplant...in the meantime, he is taking his family on a vacation :) Will update again when time for the transplant gets closer....please keep him in your prayers!! :) October 2002 Mark has gone through alot of radiation treatments and other drug treatments in preparation for the transplant... On Halloween, he recieved the new stem cells! His blood type went from O-negative, to A-positive...we always knew he was a positive guy :) We thank the wonderful person who became his donor, what a thoughtful, and kind thing to do! I hope someday to meet this person, to let them know just how much we appreciate all they've done. Here is a picture of Mark getting his new stem cells...doesn't he look wonderful? :D |
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| November 9, 2002 Mark is back in the hospital, because he was runnign a fever of 104.0, and didn't know where he was...he was very confused about everything. They took him off one of his doses of the anti-rejection drug, and also his pain meds...not a good thing when the man is in so much pain, but they think it's better for him.. November 13, 2002 They now think Marks infection is in his central line, so, for now he has an I.V., he is in alot of pain, with very sore muscles and joints, and can still only have Tylenol for the pain... On a good note, his counts are starting to go up! :) He is still in the hospital, so keep saying prayers please!! November 19th, 2002 Mark is out of the hospital, and back at the apartment, Yay! :) His counts are up, which is wonderful...we will all be very thankful this Thanksgiving!! December 1st, 2002 Mark is back in the hospital, having fevers, and severe stomache problems...they are trying different things to get it under control, and he is on ice chips only for now :( December 7th, 2002 My sister and I are flying out to see Mark, he is very depressed, and is losing his will to fight. Sussie is going home to be with the boys, she needs a break, and they need her...it'll be good to see him, and hopefully we can cheer him up a little :*) December 10th, 2002 Spent the weekend and Monday morning with Mark, it was wonderful to see him! He was so happy we came...his skin is so very dried out, we put lotion all over for him, and he said we couldn't leave, lol..beleive me, we didn't want to go! He started on I.V. feeding tubes, but can still only have ice chips, and is still having tummy troubles...very painful :( I so wish there was something we could do for him.... December 25th, 2002 Well, Mark got a 6 hour pass to go to the apartment, so he could at least see the boys open their presents :) Thank goodness Sussie is a nurse, dont' think they would have let him go otherwise...he's been in the hospital for 6 weeks now, and they want to make sure that when he gets out this time, he stays out...sounds good to him, lol :) He has meds on Mon., Wed., and Fri., and they give him something so he can sleep through it, as it's very painful...praying that something works for him soon.... December 30th, 2002 Mark had another colonoscopy done, and they took some biopsies, haven't gotten the results back yet, but things look the same as last time, which I guess means it's not getting any worse... Also, his donor counts are at 100%!! So that means that he is now totally A positive :D Just gotta get the other stuff under control.... January 1st, 2003 Mark started on clear broth, still not doing good with the tummy, but at least he's getting something other than ice chips now :) He has turned his phone off for now, as the pain is too intense, and he doesn't want to be talking to someone while dealing with it :( Will update more when I hear anything new...keep praying please, we appreciate it! :) March 2003 Well, Mark went home last month, yahooo!!! I am sorry I am so behind in updating this, been crazy around here, anyone with kids knows what I mean, lol :) He was doing pretty good, getting his strength back, but on Wed., the 19th, he went to Stanford for his weekly tests, and found out he has shingles, so they admitted him into the hospital. From the tests they have run, they found nodes in his lungs, and they aren't sure yet if it is the shingles, or something else, either one is very dangerous for him :( He goes in for a MRI today (which he hates!) and we should know more after that. I will try to be better at updating this, I promise...will let you know something when I find out...thank you for your prayers and good thoughts! :) Easter Sunday April 20, 2003 This is so very hard for me to write...there will be no more updates for Mark here, he lost his battle with the "Beast" today :*( Here is a link to the page that Lynn at The Legacy of Hope made for Mark. We are all heartbroken, please keep Sussie and the boys in your thoughts and prayers...and thank you for praying for Mark over these past years. Pray for Mark |