Mark’s Liver battle

Dear friends & family. I am creating this GoFund Me account on behalf of Mark Jimenez as a last resort with a lot of thought and reservations.

Allow me to explain why.

You may or may not know by now that Mark needs a liver transplant. Back in Late September Mark called me after his doctor appointment and told me they had just informed him that he had only 3 months to live. To those that aren’t familiar of my relationship to Mark he is the father of my kids Mia & Adrian and a grandson, Luca. Mark has struggled with sobriety for years and he understands he is where he is because of the choices he made. Not once has he blamed anyone for his current situation.

Since September, we have as a family come together despite our differences to help Mark get through the hardest days of his life. Call it unconditional love as God would have us do for one another. Mark has remained sober and tests often with his liver team to ensure he stays sober and keeps a strict diet along with other measures to keep his body functioning until he qualifies for a transplant. Mark was hospitalized 4 times in December and most recently spent 2 weeks in UCSD. This is a situation where prayer, helping hands and any support we can get is needed.

To be clear, we are not reaching out to cover his transplant expenses or medical expenses. Mark specifically did not want to raise money for him as this goes against his very core. Two months ago, Mark was told he could no longer drive after already being told he could no longer work. He is currently living on $1350 a month, which alone does not cover his rent. Our goal is to have a cash reserve to supplement expenses such as his rent for the next 8 months and to give him peace of mind of being able to remain in his home that he has lived in for the last 9 years. He is less than 4 miles to his liver team and the hospital for his frequent visits. It is imperative that he stays there, and we are doing everything in our power to help especially if he gets his transplant. As you can imagine his quality of life has been severely affected and has made it impossible for him to continue to remain optimistic. A liver transplant is his only hope. Today Mark spends as much time with Luca and seeing Mia & Adrian as much as possible.

We have been struggling to come up with the funds, and we are reaching out to our friends and family for help.

Mark has always worked hard for himself, took pride in his work, loves his family and is a good friend to many. We all Make Mistakes and we make poor choices and there is no denying that Mark made choices that has put him in his current situation, but this is not a time to condemn. I believe Mark will pull through this through love, support, prayer and his will to fight for his life! We can't imagine life without him, and this transplant will give him the chance to enjoy life again.

We are incredibly grateful for ANY support you can give. We will be sure to keep you updated on Mark’s progress, and we cannot thank you enough for your generosity.