Help Mark Potterbaum

Our lives changed forever on what seemed like a normal Friday afternoon in November 2023. Our dad, Mark, had been experiencing discomfort in his stomach and decided to visit urgent care for a check-up. The news we received was devastating.

Just a week after turning 61, Dad was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer which, sadly, had already spread to his liver. The diagnosis was terminal. But not without hope. His immediate thought was, "This can't be happening—not now." This moment marked the beginning of his determination to fight—not just for his life, but for our family's future.

What you might not know is that just weeks prior, due to the economic downturn, our parents had to file bankruptcy for their business, resulting in the loss of both their home, life insurance policies, and most of what they had built the last several years. The timing is incredibly difficult.

Anyone who knows Mark knows the depth of his character. He is a devoted husband, a loving father, and adoring grandfather. Whether he's helping a friend move, sending a random encouraging text, working on a construction project, or making breakfast for one of their special needs children, Dad always puts everyone else before himself. His selflessness, strength, and positive attitude are qualities we, his children, admire and strive to emulate.

Now more than ever, he’s relying on that positive attitude, while leaning into his faith in Jesus. Everyday he continues to amaze us with his smile. In his words, "Whether I live or I’m called home, I win either way. But I want to stay longer!" And we believe that he will.

With all of this, our parents are facing an unimaginable challenge, not only from diagnosis but also because of the significant financial burden. Dad is undergoing expensive medical treatments only partially covered by insurance. In addition to the medical expenses, we’ve been trying to determine how they could stay in their Tennessee home. Our parents still have 3 adopted adult kids at home who have varying degrees of special needs. Yet throughout this struggle, our parents are giving every last drop they have to make sure the kids are well cared for. Mom and Dad also use their property to help keep a smaller version of their business running to offset living expenses. If we can’t keep our parents in their house, we’ll have to move them elsewhere. As you can imagine, the cost/process of this will also be more than their income allows at the moment. And if they can stay in the house, they’ll need to address some serious issues, such as recent water damage, mold and other important repairs that they’ve had to put off for now.

Our dream is to raise enough funds to bring our parents the peace of mind and strength they'll need to navigate this hard season. We are hopeful that our dad will have many more years with us. But we’re also aware of the severity of the situation and felt it was time to invite our community into it. If you are in a position to help financially, please consider giving to help cover these expenses.

As a family, we are deeply grateful for your love, support, and prayers over the years, and especially now during this difficult time. We truly believe that prayer changes things. We believe in miracles and are praying for Dad’s miracle every day. Please join us in declaring full healing over his body!

We love all of you! - Potterbaum Family