Help Macho Mark Kick Cancer!
Donation protected
Our dear grandson, Mark Camacho, is in a battle that no child should have to fight. The fight against cancer.
Last month Mark was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer of the appendix. The prognosis is not good. There are simply no words. With three older brothers, Mark has always known what it’s like to be the underdog. But this time he’s in way over his head—he is in a fight for his life. With God’s help, we believe he can win this fight.
His story breaks my heart.
Mark’s always been a little chubby and felt self-conscious about it. Last year he joined a cross-country team and practiced hiking up hills to get ready for scout camp. But he was still much slower than the other boys.
What no one knew is that he has had a silent tumor growing in his body for many years. A tumor demanding sugar and energy and making it almost impossible to hike and run without feeling faint. Finally, that tumor grew so large it squeezed his intestinal tract, making it more difficult to digest food. He lost weight and his belly filled with fluid.
His concerned parents took him to the emergency room and their family’s world was upended overnight. Emergency surgery to remove the blockage revealed a massive tumor that had spread throughout his abdomen and around his organs. Far too much to remove by surgery. The doctors drained almost 9 liters of fluid from his belly.
When Mark awoke from surgery, his parents gave him the bad news. He had cancer. His odds were not good. He had a long, hard road ahead of him. Mark told them “but at least I’m skinny now like my brothers.” It was absolutely crushing.
His best chance to reduce the size and attachment of the tumor is chemotherapy, which his doctors say has a 40-60% chance of working. If chemotherapy works, he can then undergo a massive 16-24 hour full torso surgery to remove the extensive tumor lesions and then continue chemotherapy. If chemotherapy does not work, Mark’s doctors would like to consider a clinical trial.
Unfortunately, all known clinical trials for Mark’s cancer are not available for children. He has high grade appendiceal mucinous adenocarcinoma. Cancer of the appendix is very rare (only about 1,000 cases each year in adults), and is almost unheard of in children. Mark is one of very few children in the United States to ever have this cancer. As a result, since there not enough children with this condition, the clinical trials are only available for ages 18+. So his doctors are considering experimental therapies not covered by insurance or clinical trials, perhaps trying a variant of one of the ongoing clinical trials.
Many have asked how they can support Mark and his family. We have created this fundraiser to give you a chance to help. His parents have put their life on hold. Melinda quit her part-time job and Ryan has reduced his time at work. They have been traveling to Salt Lake City almost every day to be with Mark at the hospital. Mark is now on a special diet. He is immunocompromised (with the Coronavirus epidemic all around them to boot!) and expensive treatments loom. According to the Coalition Against Childhood Cancer, the average hospital stay for a pediatric cancer patient is $40,000. Any support you can give will help so much during this time.
All donations will go to directly support Mark’s out-of-pocket medical expenses and care, as well as costs associated with travel, food, increased family expenses, and other expenses resulting from Mark’s care.
More about Mark and his family:
Mark is a 7th grader who loves reading, science, and math. Here he is doing a science experiment with light:
He has 3 older brothers and a younger sister. One of his favorite trips has been to scout camp at Camp Merriweather on the Oregon coast last summer. He worked hard to raise money and pay his own way to camp. Here he is selling sourdough bread he made:
One evening at Camp Merriweather, at sunset, he and his dad went hunting for jellyfish on the beach. Check out the video:
Shortly before Mark began chemotherapy, he was allowed to come home from the hospital and spend a precious weekend with his family. A neighbor who happens to be a photographer took this stunning photo of their family. Mark’s eyes are piercing. His mother’s face tells a story. Thanks for your help in this extremely tough time for Mark and the Camacho Family.
Last month Mark was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer of the appendix. The prognosis is not good. There are simply no words. With three older brothers, Mark has always known what it’s like to be the underdog. But this time he’s in way over his head—he is in a fight for his life. With God’s help, we believe he can win this fight.
His story breaks my heart.
Mark’s always been a little chubby and felt self-conscious about it. Last year he joined a cross-country team and practiced hiking up hills to get ready for scout camp. But he was still much slower than the other boys.
What no one knew is that he has had a silent tumor growing in his body for many years. A tumor demanding sugar and energy and making it almost impossible to hike and run without feeling faint. Finally, that tumor grew so large it squeezed his intestinal tract, making it more difficult to digest food. He lost weight and his belly filled with fluid.
His concerned parents took him to the emergency room and their family’s world was upended overnight. Emergency surgery to remove the blockage revealed a massive tumor that had spread throughout his abdomen and around his organs. Far too much to remove by surgery. The doctors drained almost 9 liters of fluid from his belly.
When Mark awoke from surgery, his parents gave him the bad news. He had cancer. His odds were not good. He had a long, hard road ahead of him. Mark told them “but at least I’m skinny now like my brothers.” It was absolutely crushing.
His best chance to reduce the size and attachment of the tumor is chemotherapy, which his doctors say has a 40-60% chance of working. If chemotherapy works, he can then undergo a massive 16-24 hour full torso surgery to remove the extensive tumor lesions and then continue chemotherapy. If chemotherapy does not work, Mark’s doctors would like to consider a clinical trial.
Unfortunately, all known clinical trials for Mark’s cancer are not available for children. He has high grade appendiceal mucinous adenocarcinoma. Cancer of the appendix is very rare (only about 1,000 cases each year in adults), and is almost unheard of in children. Mark is one of very few children in the United States to ever have this cancer. As a result, since there not enough children with this condition, the clinical trials are only available for ages 18+. So his doctors are considering experimental therapies not covered by insurance or clinical trials, perhaps trying a variant of one of the ongoing clinical trials.
Many have asked how they can support Mark and his family. We have created this fundraiser to give you a chance to help. His parents have put their life on hold. Melinda quit her part-time job and Ryan has reduced his time at work. They have been traveling to Salt Lake City almost every day to be with Mark at the hospital. Mark is now on a special diet. He is immunocompromised (with the Coronavirus epidemic all around them to boot!) and expensive treatments loom. According to the Coalition Against Childhood Cancer, the average hospital stay for a pediatric cancer patient is $40,000. Any support you can give will help so much during this time.
All donations will go to directly support Mark’s out-of-pocket medical expenses and care, as well as costs associated with travel, food, increased family expenses, and other expenses resulting from Mark’s care.
More about Mark and his family:
Mark is a 7th grader who loves reading, science, and math. Here he is doing a science experiment with light:
He has 3 older brothers and a younger sister. One of his favorite trips has been to scout camp at Camp Merriweather on the Oregon coast last summer. He worked hard to raise money and pay his own way to camp. Here he is selling sourdough bread he made:
One evening at Camp Merriweather, at sunset, he and his dad went hunting for jellyfish on the beach. Check out the video:
Shortly before Mark began chemotherapy, he was allowed to come home from the hospital and spend a precious weekend with his family. A neighbor who happens to be a photographer took this stunning photo of their family. Mark’s eyes are piercing. His mother’s face tells a story. Thanks for your help in this extremely tough time for Mark and the Camacho Family.
Fundraising team: Team Macho Mark! (5)
Nancy Camacho
Organizer
Provo, UT
Ryan Camacho
Beneficiary
Aaron Camacho
Team member
Nancy Camacho
Team member
Marciel Camacho
Team member