On October 30, 2013 Mark received some of the worst news anyone could ever get. News so devastating that you wouldn't wish it upon anyone, especially a loved one who is one of the most genuine, kind-hearted people that you've ever met. On that date, he was diagnosed with a rare, terminal, motordegenerative disease that was slowly going to take away his ability to move, swallow, speak and breath.


At the age of 39, our brother, son, husband, and loving father of a beautiful 6 year old daughter had his entire life pulled from underneath his feet.

Mark was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and was left with a battle that no one has ever won before. He had testing done to see if it may be genetic, however the tests came back negative. He simply got a very unlucky hand dealt to him, one that would permanently change his life and the life of his entire family.

As the past few years went on, Mark lost the ability to walk, but continued to go to work and be a husband and father. After a few months, it became far too difficult and he had to leave work for the very last time. He continued taking his daughter to school on his scooter and later his wheelchair. Since day one, he accepted his fate and decided to fight this illness straight-on. Despite what he has been going through, he sometimes is able to remain positive around his loved ones, although we know just how difficult this has been for him.

On Saturday, January 7 2017, his wife's birthday, Mark was rushed to the emergency room and went into cardiac arrest. He was revived after 20 minutes of CPR and finally came to. He was in the ICU for one month, has had a tracheotomy and is now at West Park Healthcare Centre for respiratory rehabilitation. He is almost fully paralyzed from the neck down. His wife had taken 2 weeks off of work to be with him day and night when he was ICU but she has since returned so that she can continue to earn an income.

ALS is not an inexpensive disease to have, especially if you're the main source of income for a family and you are forced into retirement. To date, Mark and his wife have spent approximately $75,000 on some of the major expenses with very little help from the government and the financial cost of this disease will continue to rise. The funds raised will help to cover some of the costs to retrofit his house for accessibility, home care equipment such a hospital bed and lift, and the 24/7 nursing care that he will need going forward.

Mark asked us to begin this campaign to help relieve the financial burden on his wife and daughter. We are hoping that you can open up your hearts by helping us in our long term battle, and sharing this link to friends and family.