Celebrate We Will!

I recently realized I hadn’t sent out an update on Mark in quite a while. Mark has been doing so well that there hasn’t been anything bad to report. Isn’t that so typical of our culture? We live in a society that assumes, “No news is good news.” I always complain that rarely do you see positive and happy stories on the six o’clock news and now I'm guilty of doing the same thing.

I can’t even begin to explain what a stark contrast this summer was for Mark in comparison to last year. Last year Mark spent most of the summer in the hospital and wasn’t released until the day of his benefit, on August 10th. He spent the entire summer with either a colostomy bag or a large wound in his stomach (I’m not exactly sure how long it took that wound to heal, but it was months! I’m sure my mom and Mark could tell you). Mark didn’t take for granted his good health this summer. In fact, he took full advantage of it and set out to do things he has always wanted to do or thought he never would.In April, my mom and Mark celebrated their 54th birthdays! I know that normally it isn’t proper etiquette to make public someone’s age, but I’m sure you would agree that each and every one of Mark’s birthdays from this point is a cause for celebration! Mark was diagnosed with Stage IV Melanoma in March of 2005, one month before he turned 50. According to his prognosis from the doctors and the harsh statistical evidence, Mark wasn’t expected to make it halfway through his 50th year of life, let alone see his 51st birthday! For that reason, turning 54 was a huge milestone for Mark. The usual birthday bash they hold on the deck of their house had to be postponed due to another big event this year.

At the end of May, I married my best friend, Pat. I’m not trying to turn the spotlight on me or take away from Mark in this blog. I only bring this up because of its significance to me, and I assume, also to Mark. One of the first thoughts I had four years ago when my mom told me about Mark’s cancer and his prognosis, was that he probably wouldn’t live to see my wedding day. That was such a sad and scary thought to me. I hadn’t even met Pat at that point and certainly wasn’t thinking of getting married anytime soon. But I knew that when I did, it would be a wonderful celebration and one that I wouldn’t want anyone close to me to miss, especially not one of my parents. I will never take for granted how lucky I was to have all four of my parents there with me on my wedding day and how happy it made me to have their love and support on the happiest day of my life. I don’t want to speak for Mark, but I think it’s safe to say he was quite thankful to be there on that day and greet me with a hug at the end of my walk down the aisle.
In June, my mom and Mark had their 5th annual birthday bash! As always, a good time was had by all. The weather was beautiful and everyone enjoyed celebrating with my mom and Mark while they shared their music with us. They even did a tribute to the new Mrs. Robinson! Here’s looking forward to twenty more of these parties!Next on Martha and Mark’s summer agenda was something Mark has always wanted to do. For as long as I can remember, my mom and Mark have enjoyed watching the show Antiques Roadshow. Not only does Mark love watching the show, but he also enjoys going to auctions and trying to find his own rare gem. He’s found some interesting things at these auctions, to say the least. In July, my mom and Mark packed up the car with their antiques and drove to Madison, Wisconsin. Although they didn’t make it on the show, they had a great time on their trip. They got to attend an art festival and even meet up with old friends while they were there.
The next thing my mom and Mark did was something I never thought I would see either of them do. They went white water rafting in West Virginia. It might not sound too crazy to you, but if you know my mom and Mark well, you realize why this came as such a shock to me. Mark can’t swim and my mom is a huge worrier, especially in anything that involves even flirting with danger. But they did it! Mark wore two life jackets and away they went! They bought the souvenir video as proof of their trip, which I have watched (I needed to see it to believe it!). Sure enough, they took on the white rapids of the New River and enjoyed every second of it! While in West Virginia, they also got the chance to visit with Mark’s sister Mary and her family. Another highlight of the trip!

They ended their summer by camping at Mid Ohio and watching the indy car races with friends and family, one of their favorite pastimes and something they had to miss last year.

And last, but certainly not least, Mark recently had his body scan and MRI of his brain. The results came back “stable,” a term used by the doctors to indicate that his cancer hasn’t spread. We prefer the terms, “awesome,” “miracle,” and “amazing!” In fact, they even mentioned that some of the spots in his brain have actually decreased in size. I know that I needed some good news like that in these hard economic times and I’m sure you do too! Thank you all for your love, support and prayers. You’ll never know how very much we appreciate it!