Let's Help Mark Hammer Stage 4 Cancer!

Hello folks,

We are helping raise money for Mark Visser, who is battling cancer for the second time in five years. Mark is a son, brother, and uncle and the most thoughtful and selfless person you will ever meet. Always quick with a joke, a smile—and a heavy guitar riff—Mark is also a Marine Corps veteran who served overseas, an avid sports fan and fisherman, and a hard rock music aficionado. He and his girlfriend live outside of Chicago. Incredibly, this is Mark’s second bout with the “emperor of all maladies,” having previously battled—and beaten—colon cancer in late 2018.

What Happened: Mark had fully recovered from his previous cancer battle with no evidence of disease. Fast forward to November 2022 and what began as a nagging little patch of skin under his chin quickly and aggressively grew into a large tumor that required immediate surgery in January 2023. After surgery, Mark’s oncologist informed him that they found one lymph node with the disease and diagnosed him with Stage 4b Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin. The doctors are still not sure where the cancer originated.

The Treatment Plan: weeks after surgery (which included a second hospital stay to deal with complications), Mark began an intensive eight-week treatment cycle; radiation five days a week and chemotherapy every Monday. Once he completes this cycle, his medical team will meet to reassess his status and the new way forward.

How This Ordeal Has Impacted Mark: an unfortunate side-effect of the surgery is that he is still unable to swallow liquids and must endure a feeding tube to get nutrients. In addition, Mark has been out of work since December 2022, and it is unclear when he will be able to go back.

Why We Created a Campaign and What We Hope to Achieve for Mark: Mark is facing a difficult battle and we have come to the point where we don’t want him to worry about the financial aspects of his situation. So, to help ease the financial burden, we created this campaign so Mark can fully focus on his treatment and recovery instead of the financial constraints resulting from his inability to work. This campaign aims to raise funds to help cover his significant medical expenses –those already accrued (two extended hospital stays, numerous outpatient procedures, and cancer treatments) and new ones ahead as he continues treatment.

How You Can Help: unfortunately, and as too many of us know, having cancer is not cheap; there are co-pays and other things that insurance will not fully cover. But, with your help, we hope to give Mark the support he needs to keep fighting and win this second battle with cancer. Every donation, no matter how small, will make a huge difference in his life and help him on his road to recovery.

Parting Thought: we chose the word “Hammer” in the title because it signifies our figurative desire for him to pound the disease once again into submission and our literal memories of Mark wielding that tool. As a toddler, he could almost always be found carrying around a small blue plastic hammer, pretending to build all kinds of things. Then, in a high school class, he helped build a house for a family in need in our community. So, please consider helping us build a better future for Mark by donating to the cause and sharing his story with others who may be able to help. If you cannot donate at this time, please keep Mark in your thoughts and prayers.