| Graduation Year | Class of 1986 |
| Date of Passing | Apr 25, 2009 |
| About | It have been five years since his death and I was not aware of this page. I have included a synopsis of his health issues written by Marc just about 30 days before he died. At the time in between cheerful facebook chats, he was slowly coming to terms with his failing body. He was very frank about is illness, but not about the outcome. Prior to his deteriorating health, he had just recovered from an infection that had damaged his heart. Hence, he could not be operated on to aid his failing kidneys. He always held out hope and wrote about his job and his wife. I still miss that unique imagination. Mark died just before is 41st birthday. He wrote this mostly in response to people who kept asking him what his health issues were. He was not seeking pity. However, I think he was frank and wanted people to know. Not an easy task for the best of us. Health Summary. 20 March 2009 at 11:13 Congestive Heart Failure: My heart is too weak to pump all the fluid my body needs to live normally. Ejection Rate 20% - up from the 15% I was first diagnosed with. I have a fluid restriction of 32 oz per day. Cold water is now my favorite drink. I had a irregular heart beat but medicine has controlled that. I have a pacemaker and difibulator. I take Warfarin to thin the blood so my heart doesn't have to work as hard. It thins my blood a lot and I get a lot of nose bleeds. End Stage Renal Disease: My kidneyes have failed. I get dialysis 3 times a week. My sessions start at 6:15 am and get done at 9:45 am. I go on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I like this schedule because it gives me my day to do stuff. My old Schedule was 3:15 to 6:45 on Monday, Wednesdsay and Friday. This didn't give me time to do anything befroe dialysis or after. So the old schedule ruined the whole day. Dialysis really dries me up. It drains excess fluid so I won't have a heart attack. Gastroporesis: my stomach is very weak. I have to eat softer foods. I have to eat smaller portions but more often. Protein shakes help treat my stomach. Hypoxia: My lungs are weak so I can't take deep breathes. I use Oxygen while asleep and after I exhert myself. My lungs have improved enough that I can go without Oxygen when I am not exherting myself. I do breath exercises with an inspirometer to strengthen my lungs. Aspirations: Weak vocal chords require thickner to be added to my drinks to avoid choking. I choke on my sinus drainage. this weakens my lungs and make it difficult to talk. I do speech exercies to try and strengthen my vocal chords. I am Learning to walk again. This is where I am showing the most improvement. I used to be confined to a wheelchair. I can now walk with a walker. I do exercises to strengthen my arms and Legs to help with this. When my kidneys first failed, I was so weak I had to live in a nursing home. Now I am strong enough to live at home. Despite these numerous health issues I am grateful to be alive and I am determined to enjoy it. |
