Tonight, Uncle Mark is getting a bone marrow/stem cell transplant at Dana-Farber in Boston. It's been a tough road for Mark since December. Within weeks of getting diagnosed with Leukemia, he began intense chemotherapy treatment (4 days of inpatient treatment, followed by 16 days of "recovery") repeated 8 times throughout the winter and spring. During the treatment, Cally and Hazen didn't get to see him. The kids were vectors for too many bugs and because he was immunosuppressed, it wasn't a risk worth taking.
We missed Mark. He is one of those people who loves children and makes them feel so special. He has that sparkle in his eyes and the Irish brogue that the kids think is so friendly and warm.
Last weekend, we were fortunate to be able to hang out with Mark (his blood count was in a good place after his last chemo and before the transplant). After hearing about all he had been through, I wondered how he would look, if he would be drained and weak or appear visibly ill. He looked great and most importantly, he is determined to fight this disease with a sense of optimism and good cheer that only an Irish musician could. We hear stories of the amazing network of friends and family who have cooked for him, cleaned the house, done dental work on him for free, had benefits in his honor, etc. And its clear that all the love we have seen him offer our family has spread to an entire community of people over the years and has come right back to him.
Behind this strong fighter is a woman who deserves her own sort of medal. Mark and Lynn got married over twenty years ago. They've raised two amazing kids-- Chris (20) and Catherine (18). Lynn works full time as the Manager of Operations at an Investment Banking group. Through this all, she's been getting up in the wee hours of the morning, doing what she needs to do for her job, gone to every doctors appointment and procedure that Mark has had, been there for Chris and Catherine. If anyone can do this, and do it with grace and poise, Lynn can. She's gone into overdrive and just made it all happen.
Once the transplant is complete, Mark will have to rebuild his immune system. It's as if his hard drive has been wiped clean. This process means a month stay at Dana-Farber and then six months of close monitoring and isolation at home. These two are really going to miss their Uncle Mark, but we are thinking of you tonight and every night and hoping for a speedy recovery.
