Help the Broadhurst Cause!
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Mark Broadhurst, dedicated father to twin 4-year-old girls, loving husband, brother, friend, and co-worker began the battle of his life in April of 2015 due to an infection from a simple root canal gone wrong.
The root canal had been done nearly 3 years earlier without any immediate issues, but when the infection set in it caused his throat to swell with a rare disorder called Ludwigs Angina - nearly suffocating him. The surgical intervention needed to save his life was the first of 11 over 2 years.
The Ludwigs Angina was controlled, but Mark and his wife, Michelle, learned it was only a symptom of the longer term and potentially life threatening diagnosis, Chronic Osteomyelitis. This chronic bone infection ravaged Mark’s right jaw, killing the bone and marrow with each flair up causing tremendous amounts of pain from the nerve endings of his teeth throughout his head. Seven surgeries were completed over the next 20 months to try and remove all the dead bone tissue and return him to his normally active life.
Mark and Michelle, relocated to Las Vegas from Hawaii nearly 11 years ago, both work tirelessly in the Hospitality and Tourism industry while attempting to get a new security business off its feet as well. To say they are balancing a busy life is an understatement, they maintain opposite schedules to allow their twin daughters, Jordan & Payton to be with either mom or dad most the time. The girls were typical 2-year-olds when Mark’s health challenges began, playing, laughing, singing, climbing on daddy, and enjoying everything life had to offer them.
As Mark’s infection continued to escalate with each flair up of the chronic bone infection he began to suffer from constant and debilitating pain, radiating through Mark’s head, jaw and neck. Despite the cocktail of narcotics, he was prescribed sometimes the only relief was found in quiet, darkness, with rest – none of which come easily with twins.
As horrible as the physical pain has been for Mark, missing out on time and activities with his daughters has devastated him. Despite Mark and Michelle’s efforts to help their daughters navigate a path of normalcy, Jordan and Payton have been changed by their father’s illness and suffering. Their previously carefree life evolved to make them junior care takers of their Daddy, learning not to touch his face, or sing too loudly.
Each of those 7 surgeries were successful temporarily, some buying him as much as 3 months before the infection would attack again, killing even more bone and leaving constant pain in its wake. The hope Mark and his family felt going into each surgery would quickly crash around them, returning him to dependency on narcotic pain management to perform the simplest of tasks, daily IV antibiotics – delivered via a PIC Line, regular home nursing care, and more than 270 combined missed days of work. Family members and friends on a constant rotation arriving to help through a surgery or to get the girls where they needed to be.
We write this campaign as his friends and loved ones, we have seen and supported this family as they fought with everything they have, to try and get Mark back to a quality of life anyone deserves.
With the previous 8 surgeries failing to provide Mark relief and end the siege on the remaining bone, the infection attacked again early this spring. What was left of Mark’s jaw was not able to withstand another of the previous clean-up surgeries and plans were set in place to proceed with a full fibula transplant and mandibular reconstruction – essentially removing the small bone from his left leg, and reconstructing a new right jaw while also creating a new blood supply to support the transplanted bone. The surgery required months of planning with computer modeling, and multiple surgeons mapping the process to optimize the outcome.
The 9th surgery took place on Wednesday, March 1st. Over the course of 9 hours two teams of surgeons, guided by another team of surgeon’s digital models removed Mark’s left fibula and calf muscle, constructed a new jaw and transplanted the bone along with the newly linked vascular structure.
On Thursday, March 2nd, the vascular structure was being compromised by pooling bodily fluids, swelling and saliva requiring a 10th surgery to save the new veins and bone – or it would have all been a failure.
On Friday, March 3rd, the 11th surgery included yet another intervention to try and save the vein and bone. To redirect any saliva away from the surgical site, and maintain the integrity of the new structures.
In all 10 days were spent in surgery and the Intensive Care Unit, countless hurdles were crossed, and countless more remain. Mark was able to return home for the extensive recovery ahead of him on Friday, March 10th. He has lost all his teeth on one side of his jaw. He can only eat food that does not require any chewing. He must maintain a posture that keeps his chin off his chest, he cannot look dramatically left or right. He cannot lift anything. He is learning to walk again without the support of the fibula in his leg. He has the jaw surgical site, the leg surgical site and a skin graft site all healing simultaneously. His discomfort still requires the narcotic cocktail. And most importantly his family can be heard constantly repeating the line “KEEP YOUR HEAD UP!” not because we are cheering him on, but because we are trying to protect that new vein and allow it to do its job, keep that new bone alive and healthy!
The road to recovery is going to be long – a year most likely before this is completely behind him and his family. A year before they can consider whether he will have new teeth implanted or not. Six months before he can return to his full work schedule. And a year before he will begin to not only feel like himself but look like himself again.
This family has managed to make it through 8 of the 11 surgeries without needing any help, but the financial burden of medical bills combined with lost days of work has depleted their savings and left them struggling – even before the 3 surgeries and 10 day ICU stay.
Despite all his challenges, Mark has continued to focus on others, graciously and humbly choosing to help others in need – simply because that’s his way. Because he would never ask for help for himself, and because we have witnessed first-hand how this has devastated his life and compromised the financial security he and Michelle have worked for, we took it upon ourselves to ask our community for their support in donating to an undeniably good cause.
We are reaching out to anyone and everyone to help Mark Broadhurst and his family get through this difficult time. Any money raised will go to the Broadhurst family to provide for medical bills in efforts to counterbalance missing income during his time of recovery and to ensure his daughters' needs are always met.
The root canal had been done nearly 3 years earlier without any immediate issues, but when the infection set in it caused his throat to swell with a rare disorder called Ludwigs Angina - nearly suffocating him. The surgical intervention needed to save his life was the first of 11 over 2 years.
The Ludwigs Angina was controlled, but Mark and his wife, Michelle, learned it was only a symptom of the longer term and potentially life threatening diagnosis, Chronic Osteomyelitis. This chronic bone infection ravaged Mark’s right jaw, killing the bone and marrow with each flair up causing tremendous amounts of pain from the nerve endings of his teeth throughout his head. Seven surgeries were completed over the next 20 months to try and remove all the dead bone tissue and return him to his normally active life.
Mark and Michelle, relocated to Las Vegas from Hawaii nearly 11 years ago, both work tirelessly in the Hospitality and Tourism industry while attempting to get a new security business off its feet as well. To say they are balancing a busy life is an understatement, they maintain opposite schedules to allow their twin daughters, Jordan & Payton to be with either mom or dad most the time. The girls were typical 2-year-olds when Mark’s health challenges began, playing, laughing, singing, climbing on daddy, and enjoying everything life had to offer them.
As Mark’s infection continued to escalate with each flair up of the chronic bone infection he began to suffer from constant and debilitating pain, radiating through Mark’s head, jaw and neck. Despite the cocktail of narcotics, he was prescribed sometimes the only relief was found in quiet, darkness, with rest – none of which come easily with twins.
As horrible as the physical pain has been for Mark, missing out on time and activities with his daughters has devastated him. Despite Mark and Michelle’s efforts to help their daughters navigate a path of normalcy, Jordan and Payton have been changed by their father’s illness and suffering. Their previously carefree life evolved to make them junior care takers of their Daddy, learning not to touch his face, or sing too loudly.
Each of those 7 surgeries were successful temporarily, some buying him as much as 3 months before the infection would attack again, killing even more bone and leaving constant pain in its wake. The hope Mark and his family felt going into each surgery would quickly crash around them, returning him to dependency on narcotic pain management to perform the simplest of tasks, daily IV antibiotics – delivered via a PIC Line, regular home nursing care, and more than 270 combined missed days of work. Family members and friends on a constant rotation arriving to help through a surgery or to get the girls where they needed to be.
We write this campaign as his friends and loved ones, we have seen and supported this family as they fought with everything they have, to try and get Mark back to a quality of life anyone deserves.
With the previous 8 surgeries failing to provide Mark relief and end the siege on the remaining bone, the infection attacked again early this spring. What was left of Mark’s jaw was not able to withstand another of the previous clean-up surgeries and plans were set in place to proceed with a full fibula transplant and mandibular reconstruction – essentially removing the small bone from his left leg, and reconstructing a new right jaw while also creating a new blood supply to support the transplanted bone. The surgery required months of planning with computer modeling, and multiple surgeons mapping the process to optimize the outcome.
The 9th surgery took place on Wednesday, March 1st. Over the course of 9 hours two teams of surgeons, guided by another team of surgeon’s digital models removed Mark’s left fibula and calf muscle, constructed a new jaw and transplanted the bone along with the newly linked vascular structure.
On Thursday, March 2nd, the vascular structure was being compromised by pooling bodily fluids, swelling and saliva requiring a 10th surgery to save the new veins and bone – or it would have all been a failure.
On Friday, March 3rd, the 11th surgery included yet another intervention to try and save the vein and bone. To redirect any saliva away from the surgical site, and maintain the integrity of the new structures.
In all 10 days were spent in surgery and the Intensive Care Unit, countless hurdles were crossed, and countless more remain. Mark was able to return home for the extensive recovery ahead of him on Friday, March 10th. He has lost all his teeth on one side of his jaw. He can only eat food that does not require any chewing. He must maintain a posture that keeps his chin off his chest, he cannot look dramatically left or right. He cannot lift anything. He is learning to walk again without the support of the fibula in his leg. He has the jaw surgical site, the leg surgical site and a skin graft site all healing simultaneously. His discomfort still requires the narcotic cocktail. And most importantly his family can be heard constantly repeating the line “KEEP YOUR HEAD UP!” not because we are cheering him on, but because we are trying to protect that new vein and allow it to do its job, keep that new bone alive and healthy!
The road to recovery is going to be long – a year most likely before this is completely behind him and his family. A year before they can consider whether he will have new teeth implanted or not. Six months before he can return to his full work schedule. And a year before he will begin to not only feel like himself but look like himself again.
This family has managed to make it through 8 of the 11 surgeries without needing any help, but the financial burden of medical bills combined with lost days of work has depleted their savings and left them struggling – even before the 3 surgeries and 10 day ICU stay.
Despite all his challenges, Mark has continued to focus on others, graciously and humbly choosing to help others in need – simply because that’s his way. Because he would never ask for help for himself, and because we have witnessed first-hand how this has devastated his life and compromised the financial security he and Michelle have worked for, we took it upon ourselves to ask our community for their support in donating to an undeniably good cause.
We are reaching out to anyone and everyone to help Mark Broadhurst and his family get through this difficult time. Any money raised will go to the Broadhurst family to provide for medical bills in efforts to counterbalance missing income during his time of recovery and to ensure his daughters' needs are always met.
Organizer and beneficiary
Robin Roos
Organizer
Las Vegas, NV
Mark Broadhurst
Beneficiary