Hello, my name Mark McCann. Several years ago I was diagnosed with Pancreas Cancer after having just moved to South Carolina with my wife Michelle and our 12 ( at the time ) year old son AJ. I was incredibly lucky to have severe symptoms that hospitalized me quickly. We thought it was Gallstones and that I would need to have my Gallbladder removed since we had a family member with identical symptoms who had theirs removed. Instead our lifes would be changed forever.

After my Oncology team informed us of the situation as a whole.I would be rushed to surgery in the weeks to come in order to save my life. I had whats called the “whipple” surgery. During this surgery they removed half of my pancreas, my gallbladder, part of my bile duct, a section of intestines and a part of the stomach. My body and digestive system will never be the same again. I will always require prescription medication and a surgical procedure to change my stomach stent out every 3/4 months for the rest of my life. I was in the hospital for several weeks in the ICU struggling to recover. Following this surgery I was in and out of the hospital for months due to post surgery complications. I have had 6 surgeries since that and still have two more to go. These complications also delayed chemotherapy treatments as my body was just not strong enough. The surgery alone was over 200 thousand dollars not including hospitalization, prescriptions ect.. Since we had just moved here I had not secured health insurance yet. I was so incredibly blessed that the Lord was holding my hand through it and Greenville Memorial/ Prisma healthcare approved me for patient sponsorship which not only covered my surgery and doctors since then but also has paid for all my chemotherapy treatments. The chemotherapy treatments are a bit over 20 thousand dollars per treatment. I have to pay out of pocket for the 9 medications I take but I shop around town to different pharmacies through “Good RX” to find the most affordable which is a pain for my doctors but makes it affordable for me. Except for two of them but was blessed that the manufacturer deemed me indigent and send them to me free in the mail. I was also able to get disability benefits but had to wait 6 months for a waiting period and the monthly payout doesn’t even cover my personal bills ( truck payment, insurance, phone ect.. ). The down side of SSI was since Im so new to SC I was not able to prove my residency which has caused me to be denied 4 times for medicaid. On top of that my wife has struggled to keep the house a float. Unfortunately as embarrassing as it is to admit our joint income does not cover the home expenses. At this time we have maxed out both of our credit and exhausted all of our resources. As embarrassing and hurtful as it is we must resort to asking for help. It has been extremely hard on us this past year. My family has all passed on and my wife’s family isn’t in a position to help anyone financially. We are all alone in the world. Its been more than a 3 years since I have been physically able to work. Although I do still search for even something part time I can maybe do from home. Hiding a cancer diagnosis is hard to do as I have no clue hair at all its noticeable and most companies see it as a liability. Since the surgery and the chemotherapy treatments I have been extremely sick and exhausted on a pretty constant basis. Im only able to move around for about an hour at a time before need to lay down for a while. After all that last summer I had a blood test result that came back verybhigh for cancer. Normal range is between 2-30 and mine was 179. This prompted my oncologist to go hunting for it. They scheduled a PET scan which is basically a full body scan with detailed imaging using a radioactive dye that makes cancer cells light up. This test showed a reoccurrence of cancer. This time unfortunately its in the lymph node surrounding whats left of my pancreas and its wrapped up with the veins and arteries in the area. So my oncologist explained to me that at this point they would be transferring me from pain managment to whats called Palliative care ( the last step before hospice ).and would immediately start palliative chemotherapy treatments for 3 months follwed by targeted radiation for 5 weeks every weekday. So I did the regimen and the radiation. They tested again and the cancer seemed all but gone again. My blood test was a 15 and there was no glowing on the PET scan. Seemed like great news but my oncologist did explain that just because we were successful in shrinking it down to NED ( no evidence of disease ) does not at all mean its gone. Once a pancreas cancer patient has a reoccurrence the odds of long term survival becomes very low. It usually always comes back and that these treatments are just to buy me as much time as they can before my body just wont tolerate chemo anymore. But I faith in the Lord and through him all things are possible. Unfortunately this entire time as mentioned,our financial situation has just been burying us and we really have not made much headway coming up with the funeral expenses. Then a few months back I started to hurt real bad again so I went in to get checked out. This time my blood work came back 142. So again we went hunting. Unfortunately this time the scan showed wide spread. The area in my pancreas is now 3 times the size it was prior but the cancer has now got up to the lymph node in my neck and a spot on my lung. My left lung also had filled with fluid. Still thankful though, it could’ve been worse, its not yet in the liver an they say thats pretty much the last stop for a patient with my diagnosis. I went into the hospital for a procedure to help with pain where they go through the back in order to reach two specific nerves the feed pan receptors from the pancreas to the brain and cut them off so they cant connect theoretically giving me some relief. While in the hospital they realized the fluid in my lung had grown and decided to attempt to drain it. So a team of pulmonary doctors stuck a catheter through my back into the fluid pocket in my lungs. They were able to drain out a liter and a half of fluid. Thats insane, thats the equivalent of almost a 2 liter bottle of soda out of my lung cavity. The human body is truly a miracle. Lucky the fluid itself came back non cancerous which was extremely positive and ontop of that my follow up showed that the fluid had not come back as of now. They suspect maybe just a surgical complication from the surgery I had to sever my pain nerve since it included some lung involvement to reach the nerve. Positivity was quickly thwarted unfortunately as shortly after my cancer blood test came back off the chart at 2889! Thats about as bad a sign as you can get. So we started palliative chemo again immediately. My hair fell out again and now we are really stressing how to pay for this funeral. After my first treatment my test dropped to 1437 so good its coming down but still terrifyingly high. Then a 467 then not as much with a 438 but then after my last chemo treatment in this regime it went up to 508. This cancer test result should definitely not go up while on it. This unfortunately may show chemo isn’t working anymore. You also cant do radiation more then once. All the debt and bills are worrisome enough but at this point it has become the funeral expenses that is the most stressful. My only wish is to be buried next to my wife. Its my last wish I guess you would say. As a Christian Im TERRIFIED to be cremated. My wifes wish is to be buried as well for her own reasons but hopefully has 40 years or more to worry about her expense. She is to be buried in a cemetery where her family who raised her is buried in Tampa FL where we are from. In order for me to be buried next to her in that cemetery the cost is 20 thousand dollars. I have to be prepared here. Then flown there. Touch up prepared there an the transported to be buried at the actual sight. There wouldnt be a service as neither of us have maintained a large friend group. Our little family we have created and our church is all we have ever needed. I luckily do have 6 to carry me as pallbearers but thats about it. I know a pastor from our old church there to do my last rights  and that will be that. As of now all we have raised is all we have towards it. I told my wife if I pass faster than we can get it together which is possible, just find an affordable cemetery locally here in Simpsonville and bury me there. It’s unfortunate I wont be able to be next to my wife Id be by strangers and after I pass its likely my wife will move back to Florida to be around her mom and family for mental support, so I wouldn’t really get visitors either, but in the grand scheme of things those things really dont matter. Ill be with the Lord I pray and before I know it she will be there with me no matter where our physical bodys are. 

The hospital sponsorship has been the greatest gift for us but unfortunately there are many expenses they do not pay. I have had several specialists and labs that the patient assistance has not covered in the amount of around 15 thousand dollars, not to mention my 9 prescriptions I must take daily and fill monthly without insurance. These prescriptions are the only keeping me not only alive but able to move and eat. It is for this reason I have decided to try GOFUNDME. We are so incredibly blessed to have found such great friends and a wonderful churchs. We have been extremely lucky to have a great pastor at our church and friend who is also a pastor who have been there for us as a counselor and mentor for not only me but my son as well. Its been very hard on him to deal with almost loosing his dad and everything we continue to go through. Through all that he still is able to make A’s an B’s in schoold. Im so lucky to have such a great kid who is so understanding of our situation. He has never once complained that we dont have the money for him to do the things he wants to with friends or school. He never complains about not being able to get Mcdonalds an such when he wants. He has never once complained about us not having the money for new Nike shoes or other material things. He is such a compassionate young man even telling us that he knows we wont have the money to do Christmas this year and is just glad that Im still here with him. We put all our faith in God and know he has a plan for us. As painful and embarrassing as it is at this time I have no choice but to beg our community for help. I have never in my life had to ask anyone for help. I have worked hard since a teenager to make a life for me and my family in which they are happy and healthy. These past years I have sold everything I had to sell and with our credit maxed it is officially a desperate situation. So here I am humbled but thankful, scared but hopeful, weak but strong.

Anything anyone can do to help is incredibly appreciated. Thank you all and God Bless.

All proceeds of this fundraiser are being deposited into a savings account to be allocated to funeral expenses alone at this time. 

The McCanns

Warning: Some of the photos to follow may be a bit graphic for some. Apologies in advance.