5 years since Mark's passing (12 years post-diagnosis) and thoughts about blog data.

    It's hard to believe it's been five years since Mark died in August of 2017. Mark fought the good fight against stage 4 esophageal cancer, and he won that battle. When he was first diagnosed, he was working in a hospital in Saipan, often accompanying seriously ill patients on flights from Saipan to Hawaii and other parts of the US. Because Mark's cancer was "not survivable", he was only offered palliative care from his insurance. With the prognosis of "you'll be lucky to survive 3 months with this" came a bottle of liquid morphine, and Mark was told that was the only medicine they could offer; his cancer was terminal, inoperable, and he needed to get his affairs in order to move on to the next heavenly adventure. 

    If you've read the blog, you know that Mark moved almost immediately to Thailand, ostensibly to have a couple of months at the beach and to die. But he didn't die in three months. Or even in three years. He found doctors who treated his whole system, and who worked together to ensure that everything that could be done for him was done for him. He did chemo (specially mixed for him, since his cancer doesn't have a treatment because people don't survive it), he did radiation, he followed instructions and fought through all of the pain and sickness. He maintained friendships and loved to get mail from people. When Mark died, 12 years after the "3 month" prognosis, he died cancer free. He died of septicemia. 

    I was looking at some blog data before posting this. Mark's blog has had almost 65,000 visitors, from hundreds of countries all over the world. We haven't posted to the blog since 2019, and yet the blog had 60 visitors last week alone. There were a lot of spam comments left on the blog, and I have eradicated them, but I do hope people will leave a comment when they visit. Let us know what if you are fighting a cancer battle of your own. In the meantime, hug your people and let them know that you love them. 

April 20th is Mark's birthday. We will celebrate it!!

 This coming August 10th 2019 will be the second Anniversary of Mark's Death

It's been less than 2 years since Mark died. He is probably one of the few people in the world who was stage 4 cancer in 2005 having a large esophageal cancer with metastasis to the liver and an unrelated kidney cancer in 2010, who managed to die cancer free in 2017 (no cancer noted on autopsy). Many folks with similar cancers in 2005 and later had serious surgeries with serious side effects. Mark did not have surgery. He had a lot of chemo. I'm still planning to write a book about Mark's journey with cancer as I experienced it closely with him. He died of septicemia after a fall that fractured his L1 vertebrae and surgery. He is very much missed. We had so many adventures together.
I still have an ongoing memorial fund for him which friends and relatives contribute to and when it gets low, I make a gift to it. I just paid for two computers from the memorial fund,  to be delivered to the Ramon Mario Bahena Rodriguez school in Reynosa. The schools computer lab is named for Mark. I buy books in Spanish for the school every week.  Picture of University Rotary Club Rotarians, Reynosa Rotarians, and teachers at the school.

September 2018 Mark's 2nd Annual Celebration of Mark's life and a new story about Mark

Mark's friend Alan from Juneau Alaska, came to visit us. He brought with him a great new story about Mark. It seems that the hospital in Juneau where Alan works, has a new respiratory therapist. She shared with Alan that she last worked on the island of Guam. Alan told her that he had a respiratory therapist friend who worked in the Northern Marianas Island. She asked what his name was and when Alan said "Mark Richardson", the lady said "Oh I knew him" She went on to say that Mark had gone to the airlines flying out of Saipan and Guam and solved the problem of how to safely transport babies in the planes: babies who needed a higher level of care than available in Saipan and Guam. This isn't the first time that we have mentioned Mark's name to someone elsewhere in the world and the person said: ''Oh I knew him."

It's not too late to contribute to Mark's memorial fund. See previous posts for details. Send a small check to keep the fund alive.

August 21 2018  One year and 11 days After Marks Death on August 10, 2017

Mark's sister Stephanie and I passed the anniversary of Mark's death together in Germany where she lives and works. We had just gotten back from a tour of Turkey in Mark's memory.
Mark so loved to travel. If you've read the early blog entries you may recall that Mark was near or past his 3 months to live prognosis  and we were living in Bangkok so he could get his chemotherapy and radiation. I noticed he seemed quite depressed. Who wouldn't be if they had outlived their expiration date stamped on their medical record. Not one to assume, I asked him why he seemed depressed. "Well Mom, I'm never going to get to travel again." Without hesitation I asked; "Where would you like to go?" His reply was "Amsterdam." I immediately got on the computer and got us plane reservations to Amsterdam. There was a small problem in that all the rooms in Amsterdam were booked for the queens silver anniversary on the throne. I had a genealogist friend in Eden Germany who had a nephew in Amsterdam. The nephew got us the last two rooms in Amsterdam. Mark looked like my grandpa. He looked very sick but a few visits to the coffee shops and smoking special weed, he perked up, started eating and drinking beer with me and flirting with the girls and wanting to go to art galleries. Don't underestimate the power of weed. We ended up going by train to Germany and our Emden genealogist friend Heinrich and his wife Elke picking us up and took us to the home of relatives coming down from my great grandfather's brother. Ironically Mark recovered from stage 4 cancer but our friend Heinrich so robust at the time got cancer and died. This is so sad. It's real easy to hate the word cancer and cancer itself. Heinrich is sorely missed as is now Mark who died years after Heinrich.

On July 2, 2018 A Computer Room dedicated to Mark Richardson - we went to Reynosa Mexico to the Ramon Mario Bahena Rodriguez (RMBR) school and dedicated a computer room. It is named for Mark Richardson. Mark would love this honor and the fact that his memorial fund supplies books, bookcases, back packs and other needed items to the school.  Anyone who wants to donate can write a check to the Rotary Club of Austin University Area (RCAUA) and mail it to the Rotary Club of Austin University Area c/o Ron Lantz, 9517 Ketona Cove, Austin, Tx 78759. Please mention on the check that it is for the Mark Richardson memorial fund. It can be a small check. It is tax deductible. Just be recognized as honoring Mark for all his struggles with cancer and the effects of chemo and radiation for the rest of his life.  When he was treated at Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok, ports were not in use. He was stuck with needles many times each of the many days he went to the hospital. He was so sick we had to carry bags in the taxis for when he had to volmit. He was very sick. Most of us would have stopped treatment and accepted our expiration stamp. I had friends who did this, but not Mark. Whatever it took to beat cancer, he was going to do it.

Mark's Memorial fund going to provide Bookcases at a school in Mexico

Mark has an ongoing Memorial Fund as mentioned in a previous blog.Mark even contributed to it. He had over 200 dollars in his wallet when he died and this was added to his Memorial Fund. Mark was an avid reader which helped him get through the days after his cancer diagnosis and his prognosis of 3 months or less to live. Reading helped him get through all the chemotherapy and radiation, pain, vomiting and lack of energy, etc. Much of his memorial fund has gone to pay for bookcases at the Ramon Mario Bahena Rodriguez grade school in Reynosa, Mexico. We have sent many boxes of books to the school and are looking for more good children's books in Spanish to send.The school has gone from no library books to lots of books. Our goal is to be able to send at least one book home with each student soon and to increase this goal over time. There are approximately 320 students at this school so its a lot of books.
On March 21st we went to Mexico and dedicated the bookcases at the school. We took 4 computers to the school that Goodwill donated in Mark's memory. There were great festivities at the school with the children from each class doing presentations. I received a plaque for my concern for the education of the school's children and I must admit I didn't earn this plaque alone. I had a lot of help from memorial fund donors and people helping me collect books for the school and the Goodwill. I felt certain Mark was looking down and smiling in approval of this use of his memorial funds.

To those of you who have cancer and are looking for encouragement after receiving poor prognoses, I hope you will get some help from reading all of Mark's blog which addresses his 12 plus years of life after diagnosis and prognosis and up until his death from a non cancer cause.

Mark Joseph Richardson 1960-2017

A CELEBRATION OF MARK'S LIFE WAS HELD ON OCT 14, 2017 -Also Mark's Memorial fund 

Approximately 70 people attended the celebration of life including Alan his best friend from Alaska who had often been in on some of Mark's adventures and Austin neighbors friends and former co-workers. He didn't die from cancer although he had experienced stage IV cancer of the esophagus at the gastric junction with metastasis to the liver. He had a second unrelated renal cell cancer removed from one kidney. He died following a fall on his marble floor in Thailand. He came to Houston to have surgery on June 29th this year for a burst fracture of his L-1 vertebrae.  He died August 10 of Staph Aureus Septicemia. 

There is a memorial fund to honor Mark. The fund will pay for bookcases being built in a school in Reynosa, Mexico. The school had no books for borrowing by the children. Mark's mother and people recruited by her, bought as well as collected numerous boxes of children's books in Spanish and English and arranged for them to be delivered to the school. Since there was no room for a library or money for a librarian, bookcases are being built in each classroom. Mark was an avid reader and had a wonderful memory for what he had read over the years. He would love this project. If you want to donate to this fund please make your check out to Rotary Club of Austin University Foundation and address your envelope to Rotary Club of Austin University FoundationC/O Ron Lantz Treasurer, 9517 Ketona Cove, Austin 78759    

Mark's Cancer-battle ended this week, 

... Mark died peacefully and unexpectedly in the presence of family this week, at home in Austin, Texas. He had fought Stage IV esophageal cancer and kicked its butt for more than 12 years, and had fought a second battle against a non-related cancer and totally kicked that one to the curb. Mark had initially, in 2005, been given a prognosis of "you'll be lucky if you live 3 more months", yet not only lived 12 more years but continued to squeeze as much living into those years as possible.

During his battle, as you can read on this blog, he lived in Thailand part of every year and travelled the world, getting every bit out of life that he was able. Each year Mom and Mark would take their "Glad to be Alive" trip; among the destinations were Vietnam, The Netherlands, Cuba, and Cambodia. Mark spent time visiting the small islands of Thailand with his sister and mother, enjoying the chance to show them some of his favorite places from his younger years, when he would ski and SCUBA dive. 

Mark's death was likely not directly a result of his cancer, though the long fight with this had left Mark with battle scars. In July, Mark fell quite hard at his home in Thailand and, after consulting with the hospital in Thailand, flew home to Texas (to Mom and) to have surgery in Houston for a burst vertebrae. The back surgery was successful, but it took a toll on Mark's health and vitality. He was feeling better post-surgery, and then died suddenly.

Mark's obituary can be found online at Mark Richardson Obituary -please leave a condolence. Mom would love to hear from everyone, so please feel free to just say "hi" or leave a note.

We, his family, and his friends are devastated. But Mark prepared us for this many years ago, when he was at his sickest: 

          "I'm fortunate, actually. People die unexpectedly all the time, step out and get hit by a bus on the way to work or whatever. I know I have very little time, and that it's coming. I get to say goodbye, and live a little more." 

I (this is Stephanie, Mark's sister) would ask that you hug your family a little closer and longer today. Tell them you love them. Call someone you haven't spoken to for a while and let them know you are thinking of them. We all will go, eventually, but for now we get to say what we need to say to them, and we get to live a little more.

Oops It's this year that is the 12 year anniversary of prognosis of 3 months or less to live

Mark Richardson is still alive and he claims he is doing ok. His diagnosis and prognosis were in Jan.-Feb 2005 so in last year's post when I said he had 12 and 1/2 years out from prognosis of 3 months or less to live, I had miscounted.  Mark is still living in Thailand just a very short walk on a private walkway to the beach.
We had been doing annual thank-God I'm alive trips in January each year with the last two to Cuba and to Vietnam. This year I couldn't go in January due to my own medical treatments so I planned a trip to India in the spring. Mark has no interest in India and wants his delayed Thank God I'm alive trip to be to Bali. He has been before but I have not. Hopefully we will get a delayed trip to Bali.

I looked at old blogs and Mark's formerly thick dark blond hair turned white and thin in the first 3 months of treatment. I see it in pictures of when we went to Amsterdam. Some of you may recall Mark was depressed and when I asked him about it he said he was sad that he would die and never get to travel. I asked him where he would like to go and he said Amsterdam. He was very sick and had no appetite. I wasn't sure he would survive the trip but a few visits to the coffee shops (for special smokes found in such shops) he was able to go to museums and out to eat and he had an appetite.  Mark's hair after chemo was finally finished turned from white to a dark gray and is once again thick.

Mark not only survived this cancer of the esophagus with metastasis to liver and bone but a separate unrelated kidney cancer that was small and slow growing and cored out at the VA in Houston several years after he was treated with a lot of chemo and radiation in Bangkok in 2005 and 2006 for his esophageal tumor with mets to liver and bone..

There are so many variables in cancers which affect who will live and who will not. No one's cancer is exactly like Mark's and there are so many different  treatment options now that we didn't have in 2005.  At that time people with stage 4 like Mark's often did not get treatment. In fact initially he was told here is some liquid morphine, go and get your affairs in order, you will die soon.  He couldn't find a doctor in Hawaii or the Philapines to treat him. He was a dead man walking...barely walking. Remember he was working on the island of Saipan when diagnosed. A call to MD. Anderson was made. They could get around to evaluating him in a month which would have been six weeks into his poor prognosis and he probably could not have handled the flights from Saipan to Guam to Japan to California to Houston to Austin and later back by car to Houston  He decided on his own to go to Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok which was much closer to Saipan than Houston. Treatment began as soon as he presented himself to the Horizon Cancer Center at Bumrungrad.  He got lots of chemo and lots of radiation.   The fact he is living is mostly due to Bumrungrad Hospital and Dr. Thera Umsawadee as both were willing to treat a man with stage 4 cancer.

So many decisions and so many variables but Mark gave it his best attitude and took all the treatments without complaining. He took strength in the prayers and letters and pictures and poems and kool aid and licorice people sent him.

I write this blog to help people gather strength to deal with the treatments for cancer and to give it their all just in case the treatments work and survival and remission or cancer free is the result. Some people decide they would rather die than go through the treatments. We're all different and make decisions differently based on our own unique needs and wants.

Myself, I want to live to be 100 and have a lot of candles to blow out and get a letter or a tweet from the president at the time. It's a challenge. I've just come thru chemo and radiation for breast cancer and my hair is short, curly and white.  We just had a 97 year old Aunt die from infection in her leg. She was given the option to have her leg amputated or die of the infection. She said she's die rather than undergo a leg amputation. We're all different. I can't say that enough. It's very true.

12 and a Half Years After A Prognosis of 3 months or less to live With Stage IV Cancer

Some people get a miracle and live through that terminal cancer talk of "get a quality of life" and "get your affairs in order, no treatment for you" or maybe some palliative treatment with no hope of recovery.  Mark was not yet 45 and 3 months and a few days shy of his 45th birthday. Would he live to celebrate it? With a lot of treatment at Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand not only did he survive for that birthday but every sweet birthday thereafter. Currently Mark is in Austin with Mom. He is looking good. He paces himself carefully. His gout is under control...no  seizures (he had a few really bad seizures after someone robbed him and hit him in the head a few months ago).  He enjoys life and especially cooking. He often volunteers to cook supper and one of this favorite activities is to bake a fruit pie.  He's been here about 2 months to get checked up at the VA. Is he cancer free? Who knows? The VA here is just clinics. He was not referred for any scans. Next visit, maybe we can get Mark to Temple or to Houston and hopefully get him a scan.

Mark returns to Thailand on July 4 where he is found most of the year. His sister comes from Okinawa on July 2 so we have a tiny overlap in their visits which calls for a celebration.

If you are new to the blog, read prior blogs to see more about the adventures of Mark Richardson in battling cancer and life after cancer battles. If you have cancer I hope you make decisions that feel right to you and bring peace to your life. Some people go all out for treatment and some opt for no treatment. We are not all alike in our decisions and whatever you want to do, that's of course really ok.

Mom recently discovered a lump in the breast. Now mom has no hair and is getting chemo post lumpectomy. I have it easier than Mark did.  I have a port and I have chemo then a break and then radiation. Mark had chemo and radiation concurrently and he had a whole lot more of each than I will have. If curious: my cancer was triple negative and no lymph node involvement....life goes on hopefully with lots more adventures.

Mark Richardson is alive and visiting Alaska

Mark Richardson is alive and in Alaska getting some VA medical help

In January 2016 Mark will be 11 years out from a diagnosis of stage IV cancer (adenocarcinoma of esophagus with mets to liver). His prognosis of 3 months to live (or less) long outlived. He endured many months of traditional chemo without a port so being needle stuck many many times and lots of radiation. About 5 years ago he had a kidney tumor removed and it was not connected to his original cancer. He has peripheral neuropathy, frequent episodes of electrolytes off balance. His energy is low but he is alive and still has a fine tuned sense of humor which he springs on us frequently.

At the present time Mark and mom are in Alaska visiting Marks best friend Alan who works and lives in Alaska. We have celebrated Al's birthday in grand style camping out and cooking over the camp fire with friends and telling all the old stories.  The mountains and waters here are magnificent. We've seen the Mendenhall Glacier and it is quite a sight.

Mark is recovering from falling down the escalator in the airport and from injuries to his brain from being mugged and robbed in Thailand. He's been in the ER here in Juneau twice for medication reactions but we think his meds are ok now. We fly out today for 2 more days of fishing in Peterson, Alaska. Maybe we will catch some big ones.

In 2 weeks Mark will be back in Thailand looking forward to his next adventure.

Is it possible to live 10 years and more after a diagnosis of stage IV cancer and a prognosis of 3 months or less to live?

Is it possible to live 10 years and more after a diagnosis of stage IV cancer and a prognosis of 3 months or less to live? Yes it is. The middle picture is Mark at his sickest. Notice his hair is thin and white. He looked like my grandpa instead of my son. He was depressed that he might be dying and would never get to travel again so I arranged this trip to Amsterdam. He was very sick and I wasn't sure I would get him back to Thailand alive. We were in Amsterdam just 3 months after diagnosis. The top picture is Mark at Bumrumgrad Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand where he got most of his treatment which consisted of chemotherapy and radiation. This picture looks like he is getting better. His hair is darker and he looks better.  Mark did not have a port. It was a new needle stick for every IV and blood test. No matter how sick he felt he went to the hospital to get every treatment scheduled. He endured whatever came his way in order to live. In the bottom picture Mark is getting chemotherapy at the VA in Houston. He had a short course of treatment at the VA after about 2 and a half years of treatment in Thailand. The VA turned him loose to "get some quality of life" only to call him back for a small kidney cancer that was growing.  The kidney cancer was cored out using the DiVinci Arm. You can read all about Mark's battle with cancer in the following blogs. If you or one of your loved ones has stage IV esophageal cancer, Mark and I wish you success in your cancer battle. 

2015 "Thank God We are Alive Tour"

This year in January Mark and I (Mom) will take a trip to Vietnam with Friendly Planet. I will meet Mark in Thailand,  spend a few days with him, and then we will fly to Ho Chi Min City (Saigon). Our tour starts in the south of Thailand and moves up the country flying to other cities and ends in Hanoi the capital of Vietnam. There we will see Ha Long Bay where some of the James Bond scenes were filmed. Hopefully we will both be well enough to start the tour and continue through until our return. I am having eye surgery and eyelid surgery before we leave and Mark is having difficulty with Gout and with his legs. Mark will be on his 10th anniversary of his stage IV diagnosis although not free of cancer for 10 years since he had an unrelated kidney tumor removed several years after diagnosis. I am about 21 months out from breaking my leg and ankle climbing in the mountains of Turkey and 18 months out from a heart attack. Is it any wonder that we have an annual Thank God We are Alive tour?

My apologies for not posting more often and encouraging people who are just learning of a stage IV diagnosis or going through chemo and radiation and wondering if all the side effects are worth it. Well I for one am glad Mark went through all the treatment and lived now 10 years instead of 3 months or less and I definitely know his is glad too. I thank all the people who contributed big or small to Mark's being able to still be around.

Monks receiving alms (offering of food) , photo by Mark

In Thailand there are more than 300,000 monks and 80,000 novices. The Thai tradition supports laymen to go into a monastery, dress and act as monks, and study while there. The time line is based on threes, staying as a monk for three days, or three weeks, or three months or three years, or example of three weeks and three days. This retreat is expected of all male Thai, rich or poor, and often is scheduled after high school. Such retreat brings honor to the family and blessings (merit) to the young man. Monks must follow 227 rules of conduct; once they are ordained they begin a new life and the past does not count, even if the monk was married.

Miniature Rex Rabbit named "Suleman the Magnificent"Brightens Mark's Days
        Mark has corresponded that his girlfriend Ann bought a miniture rex rabbit the size of a baseball. The rabit is described by Mark as having lots of personality and is apparently an extrovert as "he doesn't hide and stays close.
       Mark says that when Suleman "poops" it is the size of half a tic tac. I think Suleman the Magnificent could join Mark in his traveling circus.  Some time ago Mark put his occupation on  Linked in as "taster in Mark's traveling circus." He hasn't been able to figure out how to delete this and put something real under occupation. I rather like the idea of him being in a traveling circus. Sometimes with all our travels it feels like we are in a traveling circus and we are always interested in tasting something good.
        Mark reports he is feeling good even with some health problems that he watches and he paces himself so he can have energy for what he thinks is important to do. A long long time of chemo and radiation does have some residual effects. But wonder of wonders, Mark looks perfectly healthy and handsome as always. He still has a marvelous sense of humor and he gets a lot of enjoyment out of every day.

Mark at Cojimar Cuba - A place where Hemingway fished and not far from his home.

 Celebration of Being Alive - Mark and his mother made a trip to Cuba with Friendly Planet and a post Cuba stay in Miami.
Mark is now 9 years past his prognosis of 3 months or less to live from stage 4 cancer (esophageal and liver) with later chest wall tumor and an excised kidney cancer unrelated to his primary cancer. If you go back and read the blog you will discover that he was diagnosed on the island of Saipan where he was working as a respiratory therapist and that he took himself to Bumrumgrad Hospital in Bangkok for treatment. I (his mom) broke 2 bones in my lower leg and my ankle climbing in the mountains of Turkey last April then I had a heart attack a couple of months later. At the same time I had a small basil cell tumor on my face. It seemed like the wheels were falling off and I was no longer invincible. All those problems have been fixed. Both Mark and I wake up every day thankful to be alive and to have a chance to do something worthwhile.
Cuba is a wonderful place to celebrate being alive. We were with 21 people, two guides, and a driver none of whom we had met before and we discovered we really liked these people during our trip.We went a lot of interesting places and learned of the history and culture. For example: education including university is free in Cuba.If you are bright it is not a financial burden to become a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer or other professional like it is in the USA. After graduating from college there is a 3 year obligatory service in a government placed job. Our tour guide had majored in languages and one of her choices of a government placed job was tour guide. Service in the Cuban military cuts the after college service to two years. I discovered on the trip that one of the men who is just a few months older than Mark was born in the hospital where I worked on the maternity ward when I was a young nurse pregnant and expecting a baby which turned out to be Mark. I probably took care of our fellow traveler's  mother in labor and/or him in the nursery. We discovered many other small world coincidences among our fellow travelers. 

We toured schools, after school programs, an elder day care, an organic vegetable and fruit farm, a community of relocated persons, local artists famous in and out of Cuba and actually met the artists, dance groups, musical groups, learned of religions and off tour we went to a Cuban baseball game and ate out some on our own. In Miami we stayed in a hotel at the beach, toured the city, went to Little Havana for lunch, took a cruise to see the homes of the rich and famous on various Miami islands, drove to the Everglades and ate stone crabs at a seafood market. It was a great celebration. All those days and months and even years of chemo, radiation, and every side effect that you can imagine faded a little further back in memory as we enjoyed our celebration of being alive. We may have to do this every January.