Help needed

Mark graduated from Dodge County High School is 1986. He then worked at Gilman Paper Company for seven years. We relocated from our Georgia roots in 1994 to South Carolina due to work where we are raising two sons, Matthew, 14 and Mikey, 7. 

In October of 2008, within a matter of one week, Mark fell ill and was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. He spent the first two weeks at the Medical University of South Carolina in the intensive care unit on a respirator. He received many rounds of chemotherapy and eventually, a stem cell transplant (from his own cells) in February of 2009. 
This time Mark is getting a bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor. To put this in perspective, even with insurance, a bone marrow transplant before chemo, hospital, drugs, etc. is $250,000.00. He will be hospitalized for one month then have to stay locally in Charleston for three months, which is three hours from our home. That requires housing, caregivers, time off, asking for help, etc.

We are trying to raise money to help with those expenses. There will be a benefit sing fundraiser featuring The Faithful Servants of Tifton and The Hardeman Family of Eastman at Zebulon Baptist Church, located at 1252 Cochran Highway in Eastman on Saturday, April 24 at 7:00 pm.

There is also a benefit fund set up for Mark (Mark Sheffield Benefit Fund) at the Bank of Eastman. We need help and for the second time in our lives, we are having to ask for it and depend on others.

I thank you,

Annisa Barry Sheffield
email: foursheffields@msn