On October 31, my brother-in-law and friend, Mark Penner, had a sudden seizure and collapsed while grocery shopping. He was rushed to UW Hospital, where it was discovered that he had a bacterial infection that had spread to his brain. The seizures left him unable to speak and paralyzed on his right side. He underwent two surgeries to remove the abscesses from his brain, and they treated the infection with a series of I.V. antibiotics.

The treatment appeared to be working. Each day Mark's speech improved and he regained strength on his right side. Doctors determined he could return home to recuperate. He was home for a little over a week before his health took a sudden downturn and he had to be readmitted to UW Hospital.

At the hospital it was discovered that the brain abscesses had grown back - one much larger than before. Doctors performed a craniotomy on Mark on Thanksgiving Day and removed the larger abscess. They then put him on a different regimen of antibiotics to treat the other. This procedure appears to have been successful and Mark's condition has improved sufficiently that he has been transferred out of ICU and into UW's rehabilitation facility on Madison's East side.

While this is all good news, Mark is still looking at a lengthy recovery and further outpatient care. As such, we anticipate he will incur significant expenses.

With this in mind, I am looking to raise money to cover him and his family in their time of need. Expenses include any deductibles and copays for multiple weeks in ICU and rehab, ongoing medical care fees (drugs etc), any lost wages for 12+ weeks during recovery, and living expenses for his family as they help with his recovery.