A few days ago, Mark and Frances’ lives changed in the kind of instant no one ever imagines for themselves. After not feeling quite right for a few weeks, Mark received bloodwork results that led to a phone call in the beginning of the school day — the kind of call where the doctor instructs you to walk straight out of the building and directly to the emergency room. An hour later, Mark was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.

Mark is a beloved music teacher, a steady captain, a deeply kind human, and (important detail) Welsh-American — a fact Frances immediately put to use by calling upon all Welsh people everywhere to send their strongest thoughts, prayers, vibes, spells, or whatever they’ve got. Mark’s 19-year-old son Evan is a talented musician like his father, and a living legend to his younger siblings. Mark and Frances are raising two extraordinary kids, Calliope and Lorelei, who are in kindergarten and first grade at the same elementary school where Mark teaches. Their family has always been filled with music, imagination, deep laughter, storytelling, and love — and they are doing everything they can to keep life feeling as steady and familiar as possible for their children while navigating what comes next.

Frances is an actor, writer, and storyteller, and Mark has always been right there — her biggest supporter, sounding board, and steady presence behind the scenes. Their love story, full of humor, resilience, and deep devotion, is one Frances has even shared onstage: a story about finding home, building a life in Maine, choosing each other again and again, and discovering joy in the unexpected. This summer, Frances performed her one-person show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe — a love letter to life, to this place, and to Mark. Now, that same love story is carrying them through a chapter they never expected to face.

Right now, neither Mark nor Frances is able to work — Mark as a school music teacher, and Frances, who has been pouring lattes and making people laugh at the town bakery. They are learning what Mark’s treatment plan will look like and have been told this will require a fast and aggressive approach — one they are meeting with courage, grit, and, as always, humor. Still, no family should have to shoulder this alone. This GoFundMe is one way we can show up. Funds raised will help cover everyday living expenses, medical and travel costs, childcare needs, and the many unexpected financial pressures that arrive all at once in moments like this. Just as importantly, it’s a way to remind Mark, Frances, Calliope, and Lorelei that they are surrounded — by community, by care, and by people ready to help carry them through.

If you’re able to donate, thank you. If you’re not, please consider sharing this page and holding this family in your thoughts. Send love. Send strength. Send Welsh magic. Send whatever you’ve got. Life takes a village — and this is us showing up.