The Mark Witbeck Family Relief Fund

We are Mark and Vicki Witbeck and we have been blessed with 6 children.  From left to right (back row) is Paul (26), Jake (20), Shane (23), Mark (dad) and Mark (19).  My wife, Vicki, is in front with our daughter, Sara Kate (11) and son, Craig (22).  3 of our children (Craig, Jake & Sara Kate) have special needs.  Over the years, Jake's health declined the most.  He was diagnosed as an infant with Neurofibromatosis Type 1.  NF1 is a neurological disorder, affecting about one in every 3,000 people. NF1 ranges from mild to severe, and can cause more symptoms in some people than in others. It primarily affects the skin, the nervous system and the eyes.  Jake started experiencing severe symptoms when he was 12 and by age 15 we found out that he had an inoperable brain tumor on his brain stem.  Since 2014, Jake has undergone multiple brain surgeries, suffered immense pain, developed severe scoliosis and had to have a tracheotomy and a feeding tube placed in 2016.  For 2 years, Jake improved enough to have the trache removed, which he was so happy about.  Jake understood the risks, as the trache is what had kept him alive, but he felt secure in his faith in God and that whatever time he had in this life, he would cherish.  As his family we have watched his health slowly decline and in September of 2019, he was diagnosed with pleurisy.  Within weeks he developed pneumonia, his kidneys failed, and he passed away on October 19, 2019.  This has devastated our family in ways that words cannot describe.  In 2019, our family has been suffering from every angle possible.  Sara Kate has had several Sickle Cell crisis events as well as an emergency shunt revision surgery.  Her pain gets worse with every crisis.  Craig has Cerebral Palsy and is on the severe end of the spectrum.  Craig requires 100% care, cannot talk and suffers from incontinence.  Paul, Shane and Mark have helped their brothers and sister with complete love and acceptance.  They are all suffering greatly from losing Jake.  In February 2019, Vicki was diagnosed with PTSD, which she has suffered with for many years, not knowing what it was.  Another devastating loss we have experienced is when Mark's employment ended (without warning or any severance) in June, 2019.  And most recently, on October 28, just 9 days after Jake's passing, Mark had a Radical Orchiectomy for testicular cancer. We found out the the cancer is malignant.  This has caused Mark's search for employment to be on hold.   

Our family is in crisis mode.  Due to so many devastating situations, our family savings is being depleted.  We need funds immediately, if possible.  These funds will be used to help our family get back on our feet.  We have lost so much that money cannot provide relief for, but it will help us recover from this year of personal devastation.