Mark D. Mowrer

Hi, my name is Janell Martin and I am raising funds on behalf of Mark Mowrer and his family. On February 16th Mark and his wife left for a week vacation in Cancun. They were able to enjoy one full day in the sun on the 17th. Jolene attempted to wake him up on the morning of the 18th and it was immediately apparent that something was not right. At some point during the night, Mark suffered a stroke.

He was transported to the ER closest to the resort for initial diagnostic assessments and care; however, it was necessary for him to be transported to another hospital with a neurological unit. Before they would release him to be transported to another hospital, the $4,000 bill had to be paid in full. Once he arrived at the 2nd hospital, later that day, Jolene had to make a down payment of $10,000 to be admitted. At this point, the doctors were suggesting that an MRI be completed; however, they would not do it until it was paid for in full prior.

Hospitals in Cancun do not accept American health insurance and require payment prior to admitting & completing tests.

The loud, clear and consistent message she was given by everyone she talked to, including residents of Mexico that were there visiting their loved ones, was to get Mark out of Mexico and back to the United States ASAP to receive his care. This became a top priority. I can't even explain to you the number of phone calls and contacts Jolene had to make to arrange for Mark to be medivacked out of Mexico to the United States.

Once she was able to connect with someone who was able to coordinate transportation/care for Mark to be medivacked to the United States, the hospital said they would not release him to be medivacked until their final bill was paid in full, which was just under $4,000. At 4:00 P.M. on February 19th, she started this fiasco. Her credit card was repeatedly denied, even after calling her credit card company and being told there is no reason why it should be declined, the hospital told her that it was declined again and again.

Jolene was given credit card information from numerous other people, including our cousin who has an international credit card, was declined. For hours, LITERALLY, she was on the phone with credit card companies, loved ones, etc. trying to get his final payment made. As the time was nearing 8:00 P.M., the airplane was there waiting to load them and take off, she was not able to get a credit card to work. The coordinator working to transport Mark to the U.S. even gave the hospital two of his own personal credit cards to pay for it, but they were declined as well. They reassured Jolene that they would NOT leave without them! The hospital did however, share with Jolene that if Mark's bill was not paid/released by midnight, they would be charged for another day. The doctor onboard the plane, who is from Mexico, used his personal credit card to pay the bill so that he could be released. ❤ By 10:30 P.M., Mark was being loaded for take off.

On February 19th at P.M., or just after midnight on the 20th, they finally arrived in Fort Lauderdale, where he remains at this time.

Since arriving here, Mark has shown a great deal of improvement already! His road to recovery is expected to be lengthy and filled with many ups and downs along the way. One of Mark's greatest concerns at this time, after ensuring the well-being of his family, is his business and making sure his customers are being taken care of.

Being a veteran of the Marine Corps, Mark has always been a strong-willed, head strong determined man, who we have no doubt will make a full recovery! It will be a long year ahead, not knowing what the future holds. The expenses are already piling up and this is just the beginning. This money will go toward medical expenses, accommodation stays for Jolene while supporting her husband in rehab, home renovations to accommodate his needs once he is able to return home, etc.

All the love, support and prayers for Mark and his family are being felt and are appreciated! There is no way to personally thank each and everyone who has and continues to show support, but please know, from the bottom of our hearts, that we are forever grateful!

Further updates will be provided once we have more information to share out. A Caring Bridge site is also in the works for you to follow Mark on his road to recovery and I will post a link to that as soon as we have it set.