Support for our brother in blue......Mac

It's a rare thing to meet someone that, no matter how far back you go in their lives, when talking to people that have known

them, that no one can think of anything wrong to say. From those that knew

him from his years at Metro West, Toronto South, and currently at Maplehurst, everyone that has come

into contact with the man has nothing but praise for his integrity, work ethic and caring for the well-being of all those he

impacted in an extremely tough line of work.

Cancer doesn't discriminate: it is a disease that can and does affect us all regardless of social status, race, gender, religion and sexuality. However, access to care and treatment is a different matter. Unfortunately it has now chosen Mark near the tail end of an exemplary career in Corrections. Mark is a humble man but has touched a lot of people

during his career, and his time with us at Maplehurst has been no exception. It has been a privilage to work with him as a partner, which I know many others can also echo.

It is not fair that he will now be forced to complete his career undergoing the most difficult and invasive life altering therapies.

He would be the first to offer words of encouragement to staff he didn't even know

but felt could use his council after a tough shift.

I'm both sad and extremely proud to open this effort on behalf of Mac and his family.

Mark has been diagnosed with Stage 3 Sqamous Cell Carcinoma, which is the medical way of saying a skin cancer that has now made its way into his body and become much more serious.

At this time, more testing is pending, but the team of professionals taking care of him are confident, and so are those that know and love Mac.

As it stands now, he will be facing both chemotherapy and radiation treatments for many months to come.

It's no scientific secret that removing stress and having a sound mind and healthy lifestyle goes a long way in aiding in recovery from the negative impacts that chemo and radiation therapy cause.

The goal of this campaign is twofold.

Firstly, to assist in removing as much stress as possible.

Helping remove some financial burdens would be a massive step in decreasing/eliminating stress for Mac.

The second goal is to give an outlet for people to show appreciation for his

friendship, solidarity, loyalty and love in a tangible way that can make a difference for him and his family.

Most workplaces consist of colleagues and co-workers. Our line of work is different. We are colleagues and co-workers but most importantly, We are family through and through. Mac is part of this family, and he needs our support now more than ever.

We hope that, as a family and a community, we can come together for the benefit of a truly amazing man whose career has meant so much to so many and who has never asked for anything in return.

We hope that in 10 years, We will be reminiscing about his fight with cancer and how he beat it.

Hopefully, by that time, it will be a distant memory for him and his family.

In Solidarity,

P. Figliola, S. Bishop, P. DeGaris