MEET MARK

To know Mark is to love him.  He is the kindest, most gentle soul and a friend to all that he meets. He is a blend of seemingly opposite traits.  He is quiet but silly, serious but hilarious, shy but friendly, adventurous but a homebody, caring but blunt, sweet but tough.  It is very hard to make him mad and hates to be in trouble (which he rarely is).  We called him our angel baby because he was easy from the day he was born.  He puts the needs of others ahead of his own.  He is a leader by example.  He loves babies and told us that he wants to have 5 kids one day.
  
Mark loves playing video games and building Lego sets, riding his bike and being silly with his friends.  His favorite sport is baseball which he loves to play but doesn’t love to watch as much.  He loves to read his Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, he loves to be his dad’s grilling buddy and help mom in the kitchen.  He wanted be an engineer, a baseball player and most recently a chef.  He loves his dog, Mila.  Mark is a Christian and his faith is very important to him.  He taught himself to solve a Rubix cube.  His favorite vacation was New York City and his favorite holiday is Christmas.  He loves to go to the beach and wants to live somewhere with snow when he grows up.

Mark is your typical boy in so many ways and in so many ways he is not.  We have always thought that Mark was special or different, in a good way.  Through this journey he has proven us right.   Mark has always been a friend to all but through this fight he has become an inspiration to all as well. 

diffuse midline glioma (DMG)

DMG, or Diffuse Midline Glioma, is a type of brain tumor found originating from glial cells in the central nervous system, typically in the pons region, but it can also be found in the thalamus, spinal cord and cerebellum.

DMG cancer primarily affects children, with most diagnoses occurring between 5-7 years of age.  It makes up 10-15% of brain tumors in children, with about 150-300 new diagnoses per year in the United States.

Source: DIPG.org