Mark's Journey,

Those of you who know Mark have been blessed and those of you who do not, I would like to give you a summary of his life for the last 45 days. On December 25th at 7pm as Mark was about to enjoy Christmas dinner with his family, he was going to say the blessing and could not get his words out. His wife Lori immediately realized something was very wrong and rushed him to the hospital. At 62 years old Mark had a stroke, not just one but four. The series of strokes have caused paralysis. He also has apraxia and aphasia that has significantly affected his speech.

He has been to Flower Mound hospital, Plano hospital as well as UT Southwestern and now Pate in patient rehab making progress. However, he has a very long road ahead. Yes, his family has insurance, two plans, Medi share and an HMO. This does not begin to cover the expense that has accumulated. In just 7 days, medical bills incurred are over $100,000. This is just the beginning of his recovery. They have been informed by doctors he will need an intensive level of care to include therapy and rehab for months if not longer, possibly for the rest of his life. Mark and his family will continue to incur even more expenses. In addition, they are going to have to modify their home for activities of daily living, which may include expensive structural modifications, etc.

Although Lori, his wife, remains positive, the financial burden is tremendous. Therefore, we are organizing fundraisers to help Mark and his family who have been such a vital part of our community. As friends of the Williams family, we have all asked ourselves and been asked by others, how can we help??

On behalf of The Williams Family, we can’t thank you enough for your support.