Married for 30 years to Karen and father of 4 to Melanie, Aimee, Rob and Cailee. Last year Mark celebrated his 50th birthday, which is a huge milestone in his family’s life because for the last 10 years Mark and his family have battled constantly with illness as a direct result of being born with type 1 diabetes. In July 2005 Mark was diagnosed with kidney failure, with complete failure in August 2006. Nearly 3 years later, and after suffering a heart attack in 2008, Mark was the grateful recipient of a double kidney/pancreas transplant in 2009. Constant medications and monitoring of his health saw Mark treated for several related illnesses including Bowel Adhesions, Hearing loss (he now wears hearing aids), Pneumonia, Peritonitis and detached retinas leading to severe sight impairment. In June 2012 the family reeled from a diagnosis of non Hodgkins Lymphoma, in layman’s terms a brain tumour. Because of anti rejections meds, traditional chemo treatments were not an option for Mark and the prognosis was dire. But thankfully the team at Monash Medical was able to find a treatment that was compatible with Mark’s health issues and the big C was beaten back! Unfortunately 12 months later in August 2013 his body rejected the transplanted kidney and he developed a resistance to insulin. Mark spends at least 3 days or nights a week now hooked up to a dialysis machine, is on a strict diet and has a restricted fluid intake allowance. Also that year a Squamous Cell Carcinoma (skin cancer) was removed from his forehead as well as another lesion on his chest. But Diabetes is now taking its toll in ways that can’t be remedied and late 2014 Mark lost his left leg to it and as this is being written the surgeons are preparing to take the right. Calcification in his veins and arteries make these surgeries extremely dangerous, but the alternative is not an option. The Coulter family home is a Ministry house which is not wheelchair compatible. Until a decision is made as to renovating their current home or moving the family to appropriate housing, Mark may have to reside in a rehab or respite facility at a cost to the family themselves. The Make Mark Mobile campaign aims to raise funds to help Mark reside with his family by purchasing necessary equipment needed for lifting and enabling him to navigate himself around his home. His ongoing treatments will require a vehicle capable of transporting a wheelchair. When he is not actually in hospital Karen, as his full time carer, drives him to doctors/medical appointments at least 3 days a week. There is no cure for Mark and his Family. Hopefully with your help we can give some comfort and dignity to this wonderful man, husband and father.
