Support Mark & Ann Hill
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Written by daughter Emily:
Husband, Dad, Papa, son, brother, uncle, coach, friend, and right now, most importantly, fighter. These are just a few of the names my dad, Mark Hill, goes by. Mark dedicated his life to fostering growth and independence in youth through his career in social work. This job came with many responsibilities and sacrifices. Many days were spent working with at risk kids to build a better future, and nights were spent in a gym coaching or watching his kids play sports. While he and my mom, Ann Hill, only had 3 biological children (Ashley, Tony, and Emily) I know that throughout his 25+ years in Door County as a social worker, many more people call him dad. He challenged you the same whether you were his own blood or not. We often had to remind him that he was our dad, not our social worker. But looking back at every challenging moment with him, my siblings and I appreciate the foundation and life lessons he provided us and are forever grateful for them.
My dad always stood for two simple words: effort and attitude. Whether you were his child, athlete, or an at risk youth, he always encouraged you to remember that all you can control is your effort and your attitude. This seems like a simple concept, but is much more complex than it sounds. Right now my dad is about a year and a half into his treatment for cancer. Last April, after a few weeks of not feeling well and multiple tests, Mark was given the news that he had Small Cell Carcinoma of the stomach. This is an almost unheard of cancer, causing his AMAZING team of doctors to work at whirlwind speed to come up with a plan of attack.
After a lot of discussion, my dad was to buckle down for a 3 day aggressive chemo protocol, x4. Now if anyone knows him and can follow the timeline, you will see that this was going to interrupt his much loved game of golf. This alone could have put my dad’s positive attitude on hold, but it didn’t. Throughout that process, my dad remained humble, positive, and persistent. After all, he’s got a few bossy women in his life and had no other option! To help cope with his grueling treatments, his 3 kids were sure to provide A LOT of grandkid/grandparent time. Mark has 6 beautiful grandchildren, all age four and under: Harvey, Evelyn, Fitz, Parker, Clara, and Joey. On days when my dad can’t find the energy to put the needed effort in, a simple Facetime from some of the grandkids is sure to boost him back up. He has such a special bond with each of the kids individually, and boy do they love their Papa. He continued to put all of his effort towards healing and maintain a positive attitude. After his 4 rounds, we were elated to find out he was in complete response. Complete response will be the closest my dad will get to any type of remission, as the cancer is within the bloodstream. But trust me, this did not stop us from celebrating! He was still to continue maintenance chemo every 3 weeks, just to ensure the cancer remained dormant.
It wasn’t truly until my dad retired, last December, that I understood the impact he had on SO many people. We gathered to celebrate all that he had accomplished. To name a few: running the largest juvenile correctional facility in Florida, heading and running a successful alternative program for at risk teens (The Challenge Program of Door County which received nationwide attention), the countless lives he helped turn around, being named Wisconsin Social Worker of the Year, and the relationships he grew and maintained with not only clients, but professional coworkers. Hearing all of these people tell their stories and how their lives were changed because of my dad was beyond incredible.
So finally my dad was retired, which, let’s be honest, was a dream of his since he started his career. He was also now in complete response with his cancer. He could finally put all of his effort and positive attitude towards his passions. He continued to receive routine scans, which were always approached cautiously optimistic, as he continued to feel good. Fast forward to May of this year when my dad received the news that a new form of stomach cancer had grown. Again, the great team of doctors put their brains together to tackle it, just as they had the first time. This time my dad was to do 5 weeks of radiation five times a week and chemo 1x a week, with a pending surgery at the end. Again, go figure, another golf season lost. He went in just as he did the first time, focused on being positive and doing anything he needed to do to beat it. The 5 weeks were nothing short of agonizing. He had to re-frame his mindset to see the small victories he could accomplish, which often were holding food down and getting out of bed for a bit. After his 5 weeks, the team of doctors determined that removing the stomach, along with the gallbladder and a portion of his esophagus, was going to give him his best chance at a healthy future.
The doctors successfully completed this surgery on September 17th. The hope was that after a week of monitoring and testing, he would have returned home. He is now in his second week at the hospital. My amazing mom has not left his side, helping him keep his spirits high and making sure he gets some steps in each day. I can absolutely speak for everyone in my family when I say your thoughts, words, and prayers are felt and are so powerful. This has been a long and tiring journey, but it’s because of all of you that we are able to travel it with some ease. When they say “it takes a village", they are not wrong. We so appreciate our community and the support it provides people in times like these. Thankfully, we have all continued to follow my dad’s simple, yet powerful advice and kept our efforts high and attitude positive.
I want to thank all of the medical professionals at Door County Medical Center, Froedtert, St. Mary's, and St. Vincents that have treated my dad like family and have guided him through this journey. I also want to thank the Door County community for the countless warm messages, donations, and prayers during this time. Dr. Eric Paulsen and Dr. Annika Paulsen for their flexibility with my mom's schedule, so that she can be with my dad. Finally, friends and family that have and continue to carry our family through this. Your efforts don't go unnoticed.
Our family will work to update this page as often as possible as my dad progresses through his recovery. Here’s to healthier days! Our family cannot thank you enough.
Husband, Dad, Papa, son, brother, uncle, coach, friend, and right now, most importantly, fighter. These are just a few of the names my dad, Mark Hill, goes by. Mark dedicated his life to fostering growth and independence in youth through his career in social work. This job came with many responsibilities and sacrifices. Many days were spent working with at risk kids to build a better future, and nights were spent in a gym coaching or watching his kids play sports. While he and my mom, Ann Hill, only had 3 biological children (Ashley, Tony, and Emily) I know that throughout his 25+ years in Door County as a social worker, many more people call him dad. He challenged you the same whether you were his own blood or not. We often had to remind him that he was our dad, not our social worker. But looking back at every challenging moment with him, my siblings and I appreciate the foundation and life lessons he provided us and are forever grateful for them.
My dad always stood for two simple words: effort and attitude. Whether you were his child, athlete, or an at risk youth, he always encouraged you to remember that all you can control is your effort and your attitude. This seems like a simple concept, but is much more complex than it sounds. Right now my dad is about a year and a half into his treatment for cancer. Last April, after a few weeks of not feeling well and multiple tests, Mark was given the news that he had Small Cell Carcinoma of the stomach. This is an almost unheard of cancer, causing his AMAZING team of doctors to work at whirlwind speed to come up with a plan of attack.
After a lot of discussion, my dad was to buckle down for a 3 day aggressive chemo protocol, x4. Now if anyone knows him and can follow the timeline, you will see that this was going to interrupt his much loved game of golf. This alone could have put my dad’s positive attitude on hold, but it didn’t. Throughout that process, my dad remained humble, positive, and persistent. After all, he’s got a few bossy women in his life and had no other option! To help cope with his grueling treatments, his 3 kids were sure to provide A LOT of grandkid/grandparent time. Mark has 6 beautiful grandchildren, all age four and under: Harvey, Evelyn, Fitz, Parker, Clara, and Joey. On days when my dad can’t find the energy to put the needed effort in, a simple Facetime from some of the grandkids is sure to boost him back up. He has such a special bond with each of the kids individually, and boy do they love their Papa. He continued to put all of his effort towards healing and maintain a positive attitude. After his 4 rounds, we were elated to find out he was in complete response. Complete response will be the closest my dad will get to any type of remission, as the cancer is within the bloodstream. But trust me, this did not stop us from celebrating! He was still to continue maintenance chemo every 3 weeks, just to ensure the cancer remained dormant.
It wasn’t truly until my dad retired, last December, that I understood the impact he had on SO many people. We gathered to celebrate all that he had accomplished. To name a few: running the largest juvenile correctional facility in Florida, heading and running a successful alternative program for at risk teens (The Challenge Program of Door County which received nationwide attention), the countless lives he helped turn around, being named Wisconsin Social Worker of the Year, and the relationships he grew and maintained with not only clients, but professional coworkers. Hearing all of these people tell their stories and how their lives were changed because of my dad was beyond incredible.
So finally my dad was retired, which, let’s be honest, was a dream of his since he started his career. He was also now in complete response with his cancer. He could finally put all of his effort and positive attitude towards his passions. He continued to receive routine scans, which were always approached cautiously optimistic, as he continued to feel good. Fast forward to May of this year when my dad received the news that a new form of stomach cancer had grown. Again, the great team of doctors put their brains together to tackle it, just as they had the first time. This time my dad was to do 5 weeks of radiation five times a week and chemo 1x a week, with a pending surgery at the end. Again, go figure, another golf season lost. He went in just as he did the first time, focused on being positive and doing anything he needed to do to beat it. The 5 weeks were nothing short of agonizing. He had to re-frame his mindset to see the small victories he could accomplish, which often were holding food down and getting out of bed for a bit. After his 5 weeks, the team of doctors determined that removing the stomach, along with the gallbladder and a portion of his esophagus, was going to give him his best chance at a healthy future.
The doctors successfully completed this surgery on September 17th. The hope was that after a week of monitoring and testing, he would have returned home. He is now in his second week at the hospital. My amazing mom has not left his side, helping him keep his spirits high and making sure he gets some steps in each day. I can absolutely speak for everyone in my family when I say your thoughts, words, and prayers are felt and are so powerful. This has been a long and tiring journey, but it’s because of all of you that we are able to travel it with some ease. When they say “it takes a village", they are not wrong. We so appreciate our community and the support it provides people in times like these. Thankfully, we have all continued to follow my dad’s simple, yet powerful advice and kept our efforts high and attitude positive.
I want to thank all of the medical professionals at Door County Medical Center, Froedtert, St. Mary's, and St. Vincents that have treated my dad like family and have guided him through this journey. I also want to thank the Door County community for the countless warm messages, donations, and prayers during this time. Dr. Eric Paulsen and Dr. Annika Paulsen for their flexibility with my mom's schedule, so that she can be with my dad. Finally, friends and family that have and continue to carry our family through this. Your efforts don't go unnoticed.
Our family will work to update this page as often as possible as my dad progresses through his recovery. Here’s to healthier days! Our family cannot thank you enough.
Co-organizers (2)
Cathy Conoley
Organizer
Sturgeon Bay, WI
Ann Hill
Beneficiary
Emily Giesseman
Co-organizer