'Bleep' Cancer. Mark Hannon needs our help.

September and the holidays are a trying time for the Hannon family. It seems like the time when difficult times come into our life, notably cancer.

Mark Hannon has esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Throat cancer.

Like many who experience a cancer diagnosis, Mark discovered the tumor in his throat in an unlikely way.

He was sick for three weeks in August and September. Thinking it was a challenging virus or flu, he just kept going. A close friend Pam Morris Voss (a medical biochemist), felt from the symptoms explained Mark was struggling with a virus.

He began to feel better but still felt like he had strep throat, but only on the right side, which was strange. Like many of us, unless we feel terrible, we press on. Mark did too.

A change that caused him to pause was pressure on the right side of his throat. Due to his neck being broken on Mother’s Day 2007, a titanium plate was placed on his spine to fuse his neck. He thought the horrendous coughing while sick may have caused the plate to come loose or even one of the screws was causing pressure on his throat.

The pressure got to the point where it was hard to swallow, causing him crippling anxiety and fear even to sleep because he thought he might choke.

After being up for 24 hours, Mark headed to the ER, where they did a CT scan and gave him the news there was a mass in his throat. Given the family history, time of year and experience caring for family members, he knew what was ahead.

Mark started radiation the week of December 5th, where he will go five days a week for the next 7-8 weeks, then he will need a month to heal. The prediction for his time during treatment is tremendous pain and discomfort. He will not be able to work.

Over the years, Mark has helped his family and friends financially. Brother John and mother Barbara come to mind immediately for all of us. He has worked since he was 12 and never imagined needing help himself.

With no income coming in for the next eight to ten weeks and mounting medical bills, we humbly ask you to help lift Mark past his worries and allow him to focus on treatment, recovery and his cure.