Hope & Gratitude – Ready for a New Year!

Week #115

2019 was pretty incredible and we are so thankful for all your support. Mady, Nat, and I leaned on you much, much more than you may recognize … and you carried us.
We are forever grateful.

I hope you will put cancer screening at the top of your New Year Resolutions list.
Please call your doctor and ask what screenings are right for you. And, be sure to stick to the schedule you agree upon!

Here’s a look back at our year on the cancer trail. Forgive us if it’s a couple minutes longer than last year’s reel. But, we jammed a lot into these past 12 months!
Video Link >> https://youtu.be/NjukheG7ZZ8

The small canvas paintings you see in this video are from Hope and Gratitude Exhibit at the UCSF Helen Diller Cancer Cancer. In my many trips to UCSF over the past 2+ years, these paintings always speak to me. They were created by other patients, caregivers and UCSF cancer center staff back in 2014. I discovered them after my first big surgery in 2017 and I can’t express how powerful they were to me. After close to 10 hours on the surgery table, my nurses had me up and walking the halls within just a few hours … It was really unbelievable, considering the extent and scope of my surgery. Imagine yourself in a similar situation, hobbling down a hospital hallway, filled with uncertainty, then turning a corner and finding hundreds of these personal, inspirational messages. I was instantly assured that I was not alone on my challenging path, that many had been on it before me. I wish I could personally thank each contributor to this amazing gallery. They have no idea how powerful and comforting their messages have become for other patients.

We wish you and your family great health, happiness and many miles of sunny rides in the New Year!

Keep rollin’!
Mark, Mady and Nat

P.S. My friend and fellow cancer fighter, John Khatso Orfali, passed away just a few days before Christmas. Our condolences go out to the entire Orfali clan. My parallel treatment schedule over the past year led me to think of John as ‘my chemo brother’. He was a really amazing young man and I am so grateful for the short time we had together. John’s incredible strength, stamina and courage inspired the same in me and I will carry his spirit with me always. You will see a great picture of John at the end of our video. – MC