mark's journey

The last couple of days have been an absolute whirlwind for our family. As Mark’s army of supporters and well-wishers grows, we feel that this is the best way to consistently give progress updates regarding Mark and his journey.   For all of you that have reached out, prayed, cried, helped, contributed your time or your money or offered your love and support in any form, we are forever grateful. 
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Celebrating New Year's Eve at home. No signs or symptoms of what was to come.

On New Year’s Day Mark first starting complaining of a headache. Not a big deal, we gave him some Motrin and he went back to doing the things he normally does. This went on for a few days and we assumed that he was stressed about the holidays being over and getting back into the school routine after a long, relaxing few weeks off. The headaches seemed to get worse as the days went on, keeping him home from school one day last week. So we scheduled an appointment with his pediatrician on Wednesday, January 11th. The doctor asked all of the questions that you answer “no” to for a healthy 10 year old. He did a vision test and tested his balance and everything was fine.  He was mildly concerned that the headaches were happening in the back of his head so he ordered an MRI as a precaution. 
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The severe headaches have begun and Mark is becoming more and more sleepy.

​The MRI was scheduled for Sunday, the 14th at noon. We took Mark to Scott & White and while he was nervous, he put on a brave face and did great. He even got a hug from the technician for being so still while got what they needed. We left and went to lunch. Shortly after we ordered, Mark got a headache so we headed home and he laid down to take a nap. 


About 30 minutes later as we were settling into a chilly Sunday afternoon Ali got a call from Scott & White. The person on the other end asked if both Ali and I were there. It was in this moment we knew that this was the call every parent dreads but at the same time never thinks they will get.  The person on the other end said the MRI showed that there was “a mass” in Mark’s brain. Everything he said after that was a blur, somehow hearing everything and nothing at the same time. The bottom line was this: the results couldn’t wait until his pediatrician opened the following day. He said that he didn’t have kids but if he did he would get them to Texas Children’s in Houston right away.
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We arrived at Texas Children's Hospital Emergency Room (Medical Center) for the first time.

​We took about 5 minutes to pull ourselves together. We sobbed, we told Jameson, who had overheard some of the phone conversation, that Mark was sick and we needed to get to Houston. Then it was go time. We loaded up a few days of clothes, a few stuffed animals and toys and headed to Houston.


We got to Texas Children’s around 5:30, Sunday evening. We went to the ER and let them know that we were there because we had an MRI that showed a mass in Mark’s brain. They got us into a private  emergency room immediately. They started an IV and let us know they were going to need to do a much more detailed MRI that would provide them a “surgical map”. While they were getting us a permanent room we went with Mark up to the imaging lab. They told us this MRI was going to be of the full head and spine and would take about 2 hours. The one that was done at Scott & White earlier that day was about 20 minutes. You could tell that Mark was nervous but in typical Mark fashion, he put back on that brave face. The MRI is brutal for anyone but the loud banging noises the machine makes coupled with his headaches proved to be too much. After 30 minutes they stopped it and said that we would reschedule for Monday and they would put him under general anesthesia so they could get what they needed. We got back to the room around 12:30am and slept what little we all could. ​
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Getting ready for MRI. Everyone is exhausted.

Monday was a blur. Sometime around 10:15am we all went back up to imaging. We met with the anesthesiologist. They told us that if they saw that he needed a shunt or a drain put in they would go ahead and do that while he was under. They took Mark and Ali back and just as quickly ushered Ali out so they could get started. The next two hours were brutal. We didn’t know if this was just an MRI or if they were doing brain surgery.  We tried to get something to eat, we paced, we cried, we texted people and we waited for them to be done.  They came out and said they had gotten everything they needed from the MRI and didn’t need to do anything else.  We felt like that was a win. 

They brought us back to recovery where Mark slowly woke up. We were able to go back to his room where he spent the afternoon sleeping. He got to FaceTime with Jameson for about 15 minutes and it was the happiest we had seen him since we checked in. Shortly after they hung up he got a bad headache and went back to sleep. The whole day we waited on pins and needles for the neurosurgeons to come and talk to us about the MRI. If the two hours that he was doing the MRI were brutal then I don’t even have the word for what this was. What did they see? How big is the tumor? Has it gone into his spine? Is it even operable? Why are they taking so long?  You try to be strong but it is a struggle to not automatically go to the worst place imaginable. 
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FaceTime with big brother, Jameson.

​Around 7, a few minutes after Mark had his cheese pizza delivered for dinner two very somber looking neurosurgeons came in to the room. All of the sudden I didn’t want to know anymore. We stepped out of the room and into the hall so that Mark could eat his pizza without the burden of knowing whatever news they came to share with us. 


This was it. Whatever came out of their mouths over the next few minutes was going to set in motion a plan and a new reality for our family. They pulled up the images on the computer. For the first time we saw “the mass” that was trying to take our sweet Mark’s fun-loving, happy personality. It wasn’t as scary looking as I thought but I hated it all the same. They told us that they needed to perform a biopsy to determine what it is and what is causing it. While they are doing that they are also going to be able to relieve the pressure and build up of spinal fluid that is manifesting itself in these increasingly painful headaches. They delivered their message in a calm, confident way. They explained that this is The Option at this point and they have him on the surgery schedule for Wednesday morning. The tumor has not gone into his spine and they are confident that they can get a sample while at the same time giving him relief for his headaches.  Another small win. 
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Looking outside our hospital room.

They left and for the first time in a day and a half we exhaled. Now we needed to tell Mark. Up until this point we told him that we were here to get help with his headaches. Or they needed pictures of his brain to see where his headaches were coming from. Pretty basic as to not to worry him about things going on that none of us have the answers to. We moved his empty pizza box out of the way, sat on his bed and explained to him that we saw the pictures of his brain and there is a spot in his brain that is causing his headaches. We let him know that they were going to do a surgery to help them go away and also to get some more information about this “spot”. He was understandably scared. We told him that they were going to put him to sleep again just like for the MRI and assured him that it was a tiny little cut on the top of his head. They weren’t even going to have to shave his head. That seemed to help. Mark is the strong, silent type. He keeps everything pretty close to the vest but we know he is worried.


This is not something a kid should ever have to even think about. He should be worried about this weeks spelling test, or getting in trouble for lying about how much candy he ate. Not a brain tumor.  But here we are. He is a strong kid. A quiet fighter. A thinker. Mark is a friend to everyone he’s ever met. He is the kindest, sweetest, most pure soul. For anyone that is reading this we ask that you give Mark back the same love that he has put out into this world. He has made the world a better place for everyone who has ever met him and it is our turn to pay that love and kindness back to him.
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We ask for prayers of strength and hope. We ask that God watch over Mark and give him the courage and resilience to meet the challenges ahead. We pray for his medical team. We pray for his brother. Please pray for Ali and I to be strong for Mark and for a clear head to make the best decisions for our brave little fighter.