Hello and thank you for being here and taking the time to read my story about Mark. My name is Sue Pinsler and I am Mark Pinsler’s wife of 42 years.

When Mark was young, he had a brain tumor located in his cerebellum at the base of his head and neck. That was removed and he had radiation therapy just to be sure they got every part of the tumor. This surgery occurred using the basic surgical instruments and machines available at the time. It was a long and arduous process of healing.

Fast forward to August 30, 2021, Mark had his right eye removal surgery (exenteration) due to a right optic nerve soft tissue sarcoma. The surgery went very well. Then Mark went through 6 weeks of radiation therapy just as a precaution to make sure that the cancer was completely gone. He had follow-up CT scans each year to make sure nothing had or was reforming. The results of those scans were all clear.

Then on 4/1/2025 at 10 p.m. I was going to bed and said, “Let’s go, Mark.” He didn’t say a word to me. I came out of the bedroom and said, “Come on Mark, let’s go to bed.” Again, no words and no movement. He then started to twitch his head and I knew something was wrong. He had a full-on seizure on the couch while he squeezed my hand. In my other hand was my cellphone dialing 911. I quickly called my sister-in-law Pam and told her to get over to our house because Mark was having a seizure. The 911 operator kept saying, “Make sure he’s breathing,” which he was. The paramedics came and rushed him to Bronson South Haven Hospital 5 miles away. Pam and I got there and we waited in the Emergency Waiting Room for what seemed like an hour. We finally went back and they said that he was in critical condition and needed to be transported to Bronson Kalamazoo to be admitted into their Neuro Critical Care unit. Bronson SHH doesn’t admit patients; it’s only a brand new huge ER. That transfer happened at 2:30 a.m. The Neuro team there said he needed a higher level of care and that he should go to the University of Michigan Ann Arbor to their Neuro Critical Care unit in the University Hospital. The only problem was that U of M didn’t have a bed available and the transport had to be approved by Medicare. That took three days and then he was transported on 4/4/25. I got there on 4/6/25 and have been here ever since, sleeping in his room on a recliner.

The CT scan that Bronson Kzoo did on 4/2/25 showed a definite area (photo above) in his brain that could be a regeneration of the soft tissue sarcoma that had formed on his optic nerve requiring his eye to be removed or an abscess. They did brain surgery on 4/11/25 and it turned out to be an abscess and scar tissue from the eye removal surgery. The Neurosurgeons removed the affected tissue and then the ENT surgeons did reconstructive surgery on his open socket. They closed a hole that was left open (sinus to the nose.) Then they grafted fat from his belly to fill-up or pack the socket. Then they grafted skin from his forehead and rotated it down to cover the hole of the socket which will heal flat and he won’t have a hole.

Unfortunately, after the surgery, his gut muscles slowed down causing an Ileus. This occurs when a person is completely bed ridden because the muscles aren’t being used. He would already be in rehab if it was just the brain surgery, but because of the Ileus, he is not medically ready to get discharged. This has been a very long process of a feeding tube, IVs, all kinds of other liquids and supplements he needs. His electrolytes are all out of whack which can affect the heart. He is now in the Telemetry unit so he can be monitored more closely than in a General Care room. He hasn’t had any solid food since earlier on 4/1/25. It feels like he takes two steps forward and one step back. Right now, there is no end in sight because the progress is very slow. He’s still in critical condition. They just started getting him out of the bed and into the recliner as of last week. He can’t walk, sit, or stand up by himself. He is also suffering from hospital delirium. He doesn’t recognize where he’s at, how and why he’s here, and doesn’t recognize anybody except for me. 

Everyone has been very nice, don’t get me wrong, but I want to be home, see our beagle girl Penny (14) and sleep in our own bed! We’re going to have a lot of travel expenses back and forth from South Haven to Ann Arbor (2-1/2+ hours of a drive one way) for follow-up appointments, medical bills and such. Eventually, he will be discharged to a Skilled Nursing Facility for intense Physical Therapy near our home, only when he’s stable. This GoFundMe will help tremendously to help pay for those things I just mentioned and staying overnight as we travel and for gas. I anticipate it being a difficult trip because Mark isn’t the same. He needs lots of physical therapy to help him get back to walking, standing, sitting, using the bathroom by himself and feeding himself. He needs to press a reset button.

Again, thank you for taking the time to read his story and please say a prayer or send healing wishes for his speedy recovery.❤️‍

Much Love,

Sue Pinsler

P.S. This picture was taken the next day after surgery on 4/12/2025. His left eye is fine. The bruising is because of the amount of blood that went under his skin from the surgery.