Help support Mark Howry's Fight for Life!

Hello, my name is Angie McBride. Mark Howry is my very dear brother and many of you know him. Mark has been diagnosed with End Stage Liver Disease and is fighting for his life and is in need of a liver transplant. The cost of this is $860,000. It is hard to imagine what I or any of us would do in a situation like he is in- the medical part is difficult enough, but the financial challenges are daunting. I am trying to rally friends, family and strangers to consider helping him and Cheri out financially in this desperate time. Tissue and organ transplants are, quite literally, lifesavers. But the high cost associated with transplant surgery and recovery can put these lifesaving treatments out of reach for most. The transplant process is long and usually last around 180 days from pre-transplant testing to hospital discharge. Within that timeframe, patients incur a long list of expenses—not to mention lost income. Would you consider giving to this fundraiser? Would you consider sharing this fundraiser?

Marks liver began to be taxed and started a downward spiral. He’s had his abdomen drained multiple times, removing 3-10 liters of fluid each time. He has been in and out of the hospital multiple times due to being in a Hepatic Encephalopathy Coma. Unfortunately, this is a sign of advanced liver disease, which has led to a liver specialist recommending that he move forward to having a liver transplant sooner rather than later. Over the last few months, Mark has moved forward in the evaluation process to be put on a transplant list with INTEGRIS Health Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute in OKC all with the help of Dr. Taseen A. Syed, M.D., FACP. Marks case will be going before the board on Tuesday May 24, 2024 and this will start the process of getting listed. To date, he has been through most of the evaluation testing, mental checks, health checks and social workers. All have been passed and on May 18, Mark will do his final heart testing to be prepared for the surgery.

How You Can Make a Difference:

Your support can lighten the burden for Mark and Cheri, allowing them to stay together through his Liver Transplant surgery and any complications that may arise during recovery. Medication costs, cost of living, bills, transport to and from hospital and appointments as well as food costs will all add up. Cheri works outside the home and this will allow her to stay with Mark during his recovery.

How the Funds will be used:

1) To defray medical cost- The Howry’s do have health insurance but there are a lot of costs connected to a procedure like this outside of insurance.

2) To provide personal assistance with their regular bills. The lost income alone during this time is challenging. Mark has been and will continue to be limited in what he is able to do professionally (especially after the transplant). Cheri goes with Mark to all his medical activities- which are a lot and will be more as we progress. She is unable to work during those times.

3) To provide for expenses related to travel and housing. At some point they will get the call for the transplant, they will need to drop everything and get to the hospital ASAP (because of the viability of the new liver). And then after the transplant they will need to stay near the hospital for an extended time in case something goes wrong. This requires getting housing, etc for these extended stays.

My brother is an incredible person and still has so much life to live and give. Any donation is not too small, if you can reach in your heart and give $1.00 it would be appreciated and used in the best way.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy,"