Help Mark Cope With Pancreatic Cancer
Donation protected
Dear Friends,
My name is Thomas Reti and I am asking for your support and goodwill to help my dear friend Mark Gagne whom I have known since the 1990's . Mark has been recently diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and is only 60 years young. Aside from being a well respected Montreal general contractor with a real passion and talent for construction projects. Mark is also an amazing human being with a gentle disposition. What a great photo that we have posted of Mark and his life partner Laurie Lamers. This picture is bright and filled with happiness and it just happens to says everything about them? With your help we can bring back better days for them .
The Lead Up - Symptoms!
As a general contractor Mark needs to be a very fit person, lifting plywood, carrying 50 lb cement bags, hauling lumber, building decks and renovating kitchens is quite physically demanding. Towards September of 2019, Mark began having abdominal pains that would radiate from just below his sternum to around his lower back and intestinal areas that could no longer be avoided. Being a diabetic, Mark thought that there may be something in common here related to his diabetes. He saw that his glucose levels were highly elevated despite his heavy physically activity which typically lowers blood sugar. He thought that what he was experiencing was just a diabetic reaction that was somehow related to his symptoms and could be dealt with some form of medication adjustment.
What Happened!
Following a visit to his doctor which included a surprise 6 day stay in hospital. Mark and Laurie were very worried as to what sort of news was about to land in their lap. During his hospital stay this past October, his care team delivered a devastating diagnosis to them. The doctor's discovered an unusual mass on Mark's pancreas that was causing concern for his physician . The medical team recommended a few more CT scans, ultrasounds and MRI's including biopsies to be sure of what was going on. They conclusively confirmed the worst possible diagnosis telling them that the cancer had metastasized to his liver and lungs.
I remember speaking with Mark this past October and I knew what he was thinking but he stayed matter of fact and stoic knowing what he was facing. I asked him what I could do to help and he said, " I don't know what I am going to do with the rest of my life." It was then and there that I knew I had to do something but what?
Here Is What We Are Doing!
I asked Mark a few weeks ago if he would allow me to reach out to host a GoFundMe page. I thought that this would be a good way to give us something to grasp on to so that Mark and Laurie could put all of their focus on a remission and get a good night sleep and not to have to worry so much about bills.
Where Do We Stand?
Mark has now finished his 6th cycle of intense chemotherapy sessions which takes most of the day to administer and is about to begin his 7th cycle on February 21, 2020. Mark gets psychologically and physically exhausted and feelings of hopelessness run deep after each chemo treatment. I have heard it said that people sometimes prefer to refuse chemo because for 85% of the time after the chemotherapy cycle is done. There is no quality of life and if you feel you are not getting better from the treatments. The consensus is that you're wasting what little time you have left remaining suffering from the chemo! Cancer is a monster, you are constantly worrying not about dying but when and if you will ever get better!
Where Are The Funds Going?
Mark is a very proud person, but as it stands now. The financial strains of not being able to work are paralyzing and Mark has had to resort to selling off his contracting gear, machinery including power tools just to keep up. Laurie and Mark have exhausted their savings, maxed out credit cards and still have to deal with the current backlog of bills such as home , heating, groceries and car payments. Now with one smaller income since Laurie is also providing home care. Mark and Laurie are now facing the real possibility of selling their home and giving up.
Bring Joy Into Your Life!
Help Mark & Laurie, it just takes one selfless act of kindness to bring joy into your life! Our immediate goal is to help focus Mark on his recovery and not on his finances. Laurie will be Mark's beneficiary to make sure all the funds go towards the immediate necessities. I will work to keep the page current and updated.
We are ever hopeful that with your help we can raise $25,000 to clear up the backlog of pressing bills and keep Mark and Laurie from having to sell their home. Could you please help Mark and Laurie by making a small donation to help him focus on fighting this dreaded disease , get into remission and return to work.
Your generosity would be greatly appreciated, your acts of kindness will never go unnoticed, your gesture will never ever be forgotten and I assure you that you will be filled with joy in helping them.
Please don't forget to post to social media so we can get Mark's story out there by copying and sending out this link https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-mark-beat-pancreatic-cancer?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet .
With Greatest Appreciation!
Mark & Laurie
My name is Thomas Reti and I am asking for your support and goodwill to help my dear friend Mark Gagne whom I have known since the 1990's . Mark has been recently diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and is only 60 years young. Aside from being a well respected Montreal general contractor with a real passion and talent for construction projects. Mark is also an amazing human being with a gentle disposition. What a great photo that we have posted of Mark and his life partner Laurie Lamers. This picture is bright and filled with happiness and it just happens to says everything about them? With your help we can bring back better days for them .
The Lead Up - Symptoms!
As a general contractor Mark needs to be a very fit person, lifting plywood, carrying 50 lb cement bags, hauling lumber, building decks and renovating kitchens is quite physically demanding. Towards September of 2019, Mark began having abdominal pains that would radiate from just below his sternum to around his lower back and intestinal areas that could no longer be avoided. Being a diabetic, Mark thought that there may be something in common here related to his diabetes. He saw that his glucose levels were highly elevated despite his heavy physically activity which typically lowers blood sugar. He thought that what he was experiencing was just a diabetic reaction that was somehow related to his symptoms and could be dealt with some form of medication adjustment.
What Happened!
Following a visit to his doctor which included a surprise 6 day stay in hospital. Mark and Laurie were very worried as to what sort of news was about to land in their lap. During his hospital stay this past October, his care team delivered a devastating diagnosis to them. The doctor's discovered an unusual mass on Mark's pancreas that was causing concern for his physician . The medical team recommended a few more CT scans, ultrasounds and MRI's including biopsies to be sure of what was going on. They conclusively confirmed the worst possible diagnosis telling them that the cancer had metastasized to his liver and lungs.
I remember speaking with Mark this past October and I knew what he was thinking but he stayed matter of fact and stoic knowing what he was facing. I asked him what I could do to help and he said, " I don't know what I am going to do with the rest of my life." It was then and there that I knew I had to do something but what?
Here Is What We Are Doing!
I asked Mark a few weeks ago if he would allow me to reach out to host a GoFundMe page. I thought that this would be a good way to give us something to grasp on to so that Mark and Laurie could put all of their focus on a remission and get a good night sleep and not to have to worry so much about bills.
Where Do We Stand?
Mark has now finished his 6th cycle of intense chemotherapy sessions which takes most of the day to administer and is about to begin his 7th cycle on February 21, 2020. Mark gets psychologically and physically exhausted and feelings of hopelessness run deep after each chemo treatment. I have heard it said that people sometimes prefer to refuse chemo because for 85% of the time after the chemotherapy cycle is done. There is no quality of life and if you feel you are not getting better from the treatments. The consensus is that you're wasting what little time you have left remaining suffering from the chemo! Cancer is a monster, you are constantly worrying not about dying but when and if you will ever get better!
Where Are The Funds Going?
Mark is a very proud person, but as it stands now. The financial strains of not being able to work are paralyzing and Mark has had to resort to selling off his contracting gear, machinery including power tools just to keep up. Laurie and Mark have exhausted their savings, maxed out credit cards and still have to deal with the current backlog of bills such as home , heating, groceries and car payments. Now with one smaller income since Laurie is also providing home care. Mark and Laurie are now facing the real possibility of selling their home and giving up.
Bring Joy Into Your Life!
Help Mark & Laurie, it just takes one selfless act of kindness to bring joy into your life! Our immediate goal is to help focus Mark on his recovery and not on his finances. Laurie will be Mark's beneficiary to make sure all the funds go towards the immediate necessities. I will work to keep the page current and updated.
We are ever hopeful that with your help we can raise $25,000 to clear up the backlog of pressing bills and keep Mark and Laurie from having to sell their home. Could you please help Mark and Laurie by making a small donation to help him focus on fighting this dreaded disease , get into remission and return to work.
Your generosity would be greatly appreciated, your acts of kindness will never go unnoticed, your gesture will never ever be forgotten and I assure you that you will be filled with joy in helping them.
Please don't forget to post to social media so we can get Mark's story out there by copying and sending out this link https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-mark-beat-pancreatic-cancer?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet .
With Greatest Appreciation!
Mark & Laurie
Organizer and beneficiary
Thomas Reti
Organizer
Dollard-Des-Ormeaux, QC
Laurie Lamers
Beneficiary
