Hello To All our Friends & Family, 
We all know life does not always go as planned, it just happens. We learn from life, we give life and we share our life with many. Today I am reaching out to share with you the story of my brother Mark. 

Where to start.....guess at the beginning when I came into his life...lol, that's when his life really began, just kidding Mark. 

Mark is my brother,  he is older, wiser and taller than I am. He has 2 AMAZING daughters, Karas, who is driving...kinda and Kailyn who probably at this moment is stealing another article of clothing from her sister's closet. 

Besides myself & Mark, we have 2 other sisters. Wendy & Julie. When we were kids we did pet parades together had paper routes, we were pretty much inseparable. 
Mark was always there for us and I would like to take this time and step up for him. 

In November of 2013 Mark was diagnosed with Atypical   Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. Also known as chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a form of cancer that affects the bone marrow and blood. It begins in the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow and then, over time, spreads to the blood. Eventually, the disease spreads to other areas of the body.

Typically, being categorized as chronic indicates that this type of leukemia spreads and grows slowly. However, CML can change from slow progressing into a rapidly growing, acute form of leukemia that can spread to almost any organ in the body. 

In August of this summer, Mark's condition raged forward rapidly taking over his body. In September the leukemia cells inflitrated the soft tissue in his throat resulting in masses that blocked his airway, limiting his ability to breath. He underwent immediate radiation to shrink the masses and free up his airway...

He was then sent home to "Get his Affairs in Order", as told to him by his providers...He now knows the very long road ahead of him...he is a fighter so he will beat this but not without the struggles to come his way.

Mark's leukemia is not uncommon, however Mark is missing a genetic mutation that would typically allow him to fight the leukemia using chemotherapy...because of that missing genetic mutation...Marks only outcome is to have a Bone Marrow Transplant....

We all know Mark is a fighter, but I am his little sister and to watch this happen to my larger than life brother is hard. Mark is currently in the hospital, where he will remain for 30 days of chemotherapy to try and get the leukemia into remission...we are hoping for the best. If this works, Mark will get to go home for a brief period while waiting for a Bone Marrow Transplant this December, just in time to celebrate his 49th birthday. If the leukemia does not go into remission as we hope, he will go back into the hospital for another 30 days of chemotherapy and he will remain in the hospital until a proper donor has been found for him. 

Mark will be looking at many, many months of recovery not to mention the financial strain of the medical bills that go along with life as a fighter. He will get thru this, I know he will....I want to share with you some links that better explain  Acute CML as well as a webpage where you can communicate directly with Mark as he goes thru his "term of time" in the hospital...He will survive. 


I will keep updating this campaign as we go, please help us take some of the burden off of Mark's shoulders, allowing him to heal faster and with comfort of knowing we all are here to help.

Thank you for reading my story and for taking the time to learn about CML.

Very Truly yours,

Denise & Family

http://www.cancercenter.com/leukemia/types/tab/chronic-myeloid-leukemia/

www.caringbridge.org/visit/markaichele