SOME VERY GOOD NEWS AND A BIG THANK YOU

It’s been a little over a year since Mark was diagnosed, a year that was challenging in all kinds of ways, but along with those challenges came amazing moments of strength, support, and friendship.

The new cover photo on this fundraiser, of Mark with his wife Maribeth, his brother Mitchell, and the amazing team at HMC Oncology, is just one of the many representations of such moments.

And because some people are better at telling a story, we’re going to let Mark’s friends at Holyoke Medical Center tell you more about how far he's come, and where we are now, in this article from the most recent issue of Valley Health and Life.

Mark, his family, all of us, are grateful for them, for all of you that supported this effort, and for everyone in Mark’s community.

Always.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE STORY (link)

(the full Winter 2026 HMC magazine can also be read here)

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As a firefighter/EMT for 30 years, our friend and colleague Mark Mercier is no stranger to trips to the ER, ensuring that others receive care and support in a time of crisis.

This March, though, he found himself there, and life changed in an instant when he received an entirely unexpected diagnosis of primary splenic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, an extremely rare type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Chemotherapy started the first week of May, and months of treatment and medical appointments lie ahead, along with the financial burden that comes with them.

Mark’s South Hadley Fire District #1 family and friends want to ease that burden and enable our brother to focus his energy and attention on healing and recovery. We initiated this GoFundMe to support him because Mark’s the guy that shows up. Daily. In every sense of the word. Dedicated, reliable, hardworking, a resourceful colleague that shares his knowledge and skill, at work and beyond. It’s no exaggeration to say that Mark will give you the shirt off his back. Working two full-time jobs until his diagnosis, he would take what little free time he has to help out a colleague, a neighbor, a stranger - he’s the guy that finds time to change a lightbulb for an elderly resident, on shift or off. In addition to the ways we describe him above, he’s kind, that’s just who he is.

We want to return that selflessness and goodwill; thank you for sharing this campaign and your words of encouragement, and especially for your contributions, which will all go directly to supporting Mark as he undergoes this journey of treatment and healing.

With thanks, Mark’s SHFD1 fam