Mark Coats | ALS Bucket List
Donation protected
We are Chris & Bonnie Caroline, Mark Coats, 62, (pictured above with his awesome friend, Cindy Brian) has been a dear friend of ours for more than 30 years. He's had a string of bad luck to say the least. In 2015, it started with a stroke in March that affected his ability to swallow food, including water, and his ability to enunciate clearly. In September, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. In October, he underwent surgery to remove the tumor, and it was determined to be stage 1 (good news), and highly-aggressive (bad news). In November, he had a cardiac ablation to help eliminate the A-fib that the doctors felt caused his stroke. He started chemo 4 days later, then lost his insurance and was declined further chemo treatment.
When the New Year started, he had hope for a healthier and happier year ahead. However, it didn’t really work out that way for our friend Mark. In January, it was determined that the cancer was back already, and he had to have a second surgery with a new round of chemo to follow.
Unfortunately, that was the good news! Further tests with a neurologist determined that his stroke was misdiagnosed. It turns out that he has Progressive Bulbar Palsy, which is a subtype of Motor Neuron Disease (ALS). According to the doctors, “Progressive Bulbar Palsy is slow in onset, with symptoms starting in most patients around 50-70 years of age. PBP has a life expectancy typically between 6 months and 3 years from onset of first symptoms. PBP is aggressive and relentless, and there is no cure or treatments for the disease.”
Wow! How do you come to terms with this?! In spite of his adversity, Mark has kept a positive outlook with his humor, one of his greatest assets, still intact. He'll tell you he's had a "phenomenal life" however there are those "things" that he never got around to doing that he wishes he had.
This is why we created this fund. To give Mark the monetary freedom to do some of the things that he hasn't been able to do. Everyone knows you can't get out of this world alive but, what if, suddenly, you were given a definitive time frame. Knowing that you wouldn't be around in 2 years to see the beautiful Florida sunsets or smell the crisp air of fall. It creates a sense of urgency to do those things that you regret not making time for sooner.
The sad reality is that our friend Mark is slowly dying and he has come to terms with his situation. He would never ask for help, however as his friends of 30 years, we are honored to do this on his behalf. As a matter of fact, he will probably hate this idea; however as our special gift to Mark we want to make this happen as soon as possible. Time is short for Mark because of this relentless and aggressive disease. It won't be much longer until Mark is physically unable to speak and do the things he enjoys. It's because of this we have set an aggressive goal of collecting at least $10,000 by May 21, 2016.
We hope that everyone will find it in their hearts to donate for such an awesome person that has made such a difference in so many lives. Please make sure you tell the people in your life that you love them! Learn from yesterday, but live for today. You never know what tomorrow can bring, or what it can take away.
When the New Year started, he had hope for a healthier and happier year ahead. However, it didn’t really work out that way for our friend Mark. In January, it was determined that the cancer was back already, and he had to have a second surgery with a new round of chemo to follow.
Unfortunately, that was the good news! Further tests with a neurologist determined that his stroke was misdiagnosed. It turns out that he has Progressive Bulbar Palsy, which is a subtype of Motor Neuron Disease (ALS). According to the doctors, “Progressive Bulbar Palsy is slow in onset, with symptoms starting in most patients around 50-70 years of age. PBP has a life expectancy typically between 6 months and 3 years from onset of first symptoms. PBP is aggressive and relentless, and there is no cure or treatments for the disease.”
Wow! How do you come to terms with this?! In spite of his adversity, Mark has kept a positive outlook with his humor, one of his greatest assets, still intact. He'll tell you he's had a "phenomenal life" however there are those "things" that he never got around to doing that he wishes he had.
This is why we created this fund. To give Mark the monetary freedom to do some of the things that he hasn't been able to do. Everyone knows you can't get out of this world alive but, what if, suddenly, you were given a definitive time frame. Knowing that you wouldn't be around in 2 years to see the beautiful Florida sunsets or smell the crisp air of fall. It creates a sense of urgency to do those things that you regret not making time for sooner.
The sad reality is that our friend Mark is slowly dying and he has come to terms with his situation. He would never ask for help, however as his friends of 30 years, we are honored to do this on his behalf. As a matter of fact, he will probably hate this idea; however as our special gift to Mark we want to make this happen as soon as possible. Time is short for Mark because of this relentless and aggressive disease. It won't be much longer until Mark is physically unable to speak and do the things he enjoys. It's because of this we have set an aggressive goal of collecting at least $10,000 by May 21, 2016.
We hope that everyone will find it in their hearts to donate for such an awesome person that has made such a difference in so many lives. Please make sure you tell the people in your life that you love them! Learn from yesterday, but live for today. You never know what tomorrow can bring, or what it can take away.
Organizer and beneficiary
Bonnie McWatters Caroline
Organizer
Jupiter, FL
Mark Coats
Beneficiary
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