#GeauxMark Help Mark Navigate Life with Cancer
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My husband Mark and I met when we were juniors in high school in Gulf Coast Mississippi. Mark played basketball in high school, and he is still a die-hard fan of the LSU Tigers, New Orleans Saints, and Los Angeles Lakers. After high school, he attended the University of Southern Mississippi. He was still a student there when we married in 1983, before being recruited by Wal Mart when he graduated in 1986. Through almost 30 years climbing the ranks at Wal Mart and later Dollar General, we would move 18 times, canvassing Mississippi, Louisiana, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. As Mark’s career blossomed, so too did our family, and we welcomed our son Addison in 1997.
In 2017, Mark moved west to Las Vegas to take on a new challenge as retail director for Tryke Companies, which operates Reef Dispensary locations in Nevada and Arizona, and I joined him there soon after.
Life had been good to us, but it soon took an unexpected turn for the worse. By the end of 2018, Mark knew that something was wrong. First, he had what he thought was a bad flu around the holidays. By the spring, when he found himself out of breath after walking up a flight of stairs, he went to see his doctor, first for a chest x-ray, then an MRI, and then a biopsy before finally being diagnosed in September with stage 3 lung cancer.
It was a shock, but Mark was determined to do everything he could to beat the odds, undertaking chemotherapy, followed by radiation and then immunotherapy. He was able to continue to work through most of this treatment, but by early 2019, we began to realize that that was no longer an option. At this stage in his treatment, Mark is no longer able to work at all, and I am caring for him full time. He has been approved for Nevada Unemployment Insurance, but the state system, bogged down by COVID-19 related claims, has yet to pay a penny, and like thousands of others also waiting, we cannot get a hold of a human to help us. Mark now qualifies for disability, but there is a 5-month waiting period before payments can commence, and we just don’t have time to wait. These safety nets that we’ve paid into for decades have failed just as we need them, and we need help to bridge this gap so that we can focus on Mark’s health.
I look back on our life and all of the places we’ve been, and how hard Mark has worked, and the sacrifices he has made for us. We’ve never been in this position. We’ve always been the ones who helped keep our family and our community going. But now we are the ones in the position of asking for assistance. With no money coming in for the next 5 months, our expenses will not just pause. Based on our current commitments, we need about $5,000 per month to cover our rent, utilities, household expenses, groceries, supplies, vehicle, and insurance.
Yes. We are asking for help. Whether it's prayer, reaching out, or helping us make ends meet, we are grateful for any and all of the support we will receive.
Mark and I say thank you for your support. For your prayers. For your blessings.
In 2017, Mark moved west to Las Vegas to take on a new challenge as retail director for Tryke Companies, which operates Reef Dispensary locations in Nevada and Arizona, and I joined him there soon after.
Life had been good to us, but it soon took an unexpected turn for the worse. By the end of 2018, Mark knew that something was wrong. First, he had what he thought was a bad flu around the holidays. By the spring, when he found himself out of breath after walking up a flight of stairs, he went to see his doctor, first for a chest x-ray, then an MRI, and then a biopsy before finally being diagnosed in September with stage 3 lung cancer.
It was a shock, but Mark was determined to do everything he could to beat the odds, undertaking chemotherapy, followed by radiation and then immunotherapy. He was able to continue to work through most of this treatment, but by early 2019, we began to realize that that was no longer an option. At this stage in his treatment, Mark is no longer able to work at all, and I am caring for him full time. He has been approved for Nevada Unemployment Insurance, but the state system, bogged down by COVID-19 related claims, has yet to pay a penny, and like thousands of others also waiting, we cannot get a hold of a human to help us. Mark now qualifies for disability, but there is a 5-month waiting period before payments can commence, and we just don’t have time to wait. These safety nets that we’ve paid into for decades have failed just as we need them, and we need help to bridge this gap so that we can focus on Mark’s health.
I look back on our life and all of the places we’ve been, and how hard Mark has worked, and the sacrifices he has made for us. We’ve never been in this position. We’ve always been the ones who helped keep our family and our community going. But now we are the ones in the position of asking for assistance. With no money coming in for the next 5 months, our expenses will not just pause. Based on our current commitments, we need about $5,000 per month to cover our rent, utilities, household expenses, groceries, supplies, vehicle, and insurance.
Yes. We are asking for help. Whether it's prayer, reaching out, or helping us make ends meet, we are grateful for any and all of the support we will receive.
Mark and I say thank you for your support. For your prayers. For your blessings.
Co-organizers (2)
Blanche M Conley
Organizer
Las Vegas, NV
Adam Laikin
Co-organizer