{"id":7926,"date":"2021-10-27T12:14:16","date_gmt":"2021-10-27T12:14:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wellspring.ca\/alberta\/blog\/2021\/10\/27\/mike-wark-young-adult-from-red-deer-finds-cancer-support\/"},"modified":"2025-04-22T20:02:18","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T20:02:18","slug":"mike-wark-young-adult-from-red-deer-finds-cancer-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellspring.ca\/alberta\/blog\/2021\/10\/27\/mike-wark-young-adult-from-red-deer-finds-cancer-support\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike’s story: young adult from Red Deer finds cancer support"},"content":{"rendered":"

At age 27, Mike Wark was on a positive track, hitting all the milestones on his carefully planned life journey.<\/p>\n

He was married to Lauren – the love of his life. He had a solid foundation comprised of friends, family and faith. He had achieved an undergrad degree in political science. And when his dream of working for an agency that provided foreign aid in developing countries didn\u2019t pan out, he had the wherewithal to pivot and obtain a journeyman carpentry ticket, and set his sights on construction project management.<\/p>\n

Mike was a trailblazer, carving a path with smooth corners and upward momentum. Lauren was in lockstep \u2013 with her teaching degree she landed a good job as a substitute teacher in Red Deer where the pair were living. Together, Mike and Lauren dreamed of purchasing a home and starting a family.<\/p>\n

Then life intervened.<\/p>\n

Hairpin Curve Ahead
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It was 2018 and Mike was on a weekend retreat with his friends. \u201cWe were mountain biking and it was a lot of fun, but I was having trouble keeping up with the guys on the trails, and this was shocking to me. I couldn\u2019t seem to catch my breath. My buddies were teasing me about not keeping up – usually I would lead the pack,\u201d said Mike.<\/p>\n

In the week that followed, Mike developed a cold he could not shake, and with persuasion from Lauren, he went to the ER where they ran extensive tests and noticed that his blood counts were dangerously low and his spleen was enlarged.<\/p>\n

\u201cThree days later, on June 21, I had a diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia. They estimated the cancer was roughly four to six weeks old when they found it, and it had already compromised 80-90 percent of my bone marrow\u201d said Mike. \u201cThey told me if I did not begin treatment immediately, there was a good chance I would not survive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rough Terrain<\/h4>\n

Within a week, Mike was an in-patient receiving intensive chemotherapy at Calgary\u2019s Tom Baker Cancer Centre (TBCC), and Lauren had put her job on hold and relocated to Calgary to be near him. The months that followed were impossibly frightening for the young couple, but also, as Mike writes in an online blog he created, called The Hiccup – Mike’s Leukemia Journey<\/a>, the pair experienced extraordinary love, growth, faith, humour, and learning.<\/p>\n

The first rounds of chemotherapy successfully eliminated most of the cancer, but the small amount that remained continued to pose a threat, so further treatment was required. Mike\u2019s choices were four more rounds of high intensity chemo, or an allogeneic stem cell transplant, which would involve replacing his diseased bone marrow with healthy blood\u00a0stem cells\u00a0from a genetically matched donor.<\/p>\n

Proceed with Caution
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\u201cWe put a lot of thought and prayer into this decision. A stem cell transplant meant more time off work and had a higher risk of complications \u2026 but it also offered a higher chance of success and long-term survival. We felt we had to go for it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

When Mike\u2019s sister was not a match, attention was turned to an international registry and within three weeks, a perfect match was miraculously found across the globe in Germany.<\/p>\n

Gearing up for the stem cell transplant meant Mike had to be in hospital receiving high doses of chemotherapy and radiation to destroy his diseased cells and prepare the his body for the injection of the healthy live stem cells.<\/p>\n

Soft Shoulder – Wellspring Calgary
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\u201cWhile we were waiting for the transplant, we had a lot of free time \u2013 there was not much we could do except wait. We really needed a distraction. It was at that point that someone, a nurse I think, told us about Wellspring Calgary. We checked it out late in August. We called ahead and Bobbi met us at the door and welcomed us with a big smile, a tour, and a list of all the support Wellspring offered. I remember feeling so relieved \u2026 it would be a place that could provide a distraction from the rigors of treatment in the hospital. We both joined right away and we took an art program. We were introduced to the Young Adults group<\/a> and took YA yoga and we went to a YA Christmas party. Wellspring was a real game changer in my cancer experience. For the first time I realized I wasn\u2019t the only one going through this \u2013 I wasn\u2019t alone. Having other people alongside me while I was dealing with all this made a world of difference,\u201d said Mike.<\/p>\n

Major Crossing
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On October 24, 2018, Mike received 766 million life-giving stem cells donated by his genetic twin living in Germany. At the time, Mike and Lauren knew nothing about his donor, except that she was a female in her twenties.<\/p>\n

The transplant went well and it was considered a success. Three months later, after a final bone marrow biopsy, Mike heard the words he longed to hear \u2026 \u2018you are cancer-free!\u2019 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Mike was deeply grateful to the donor and wanted to reach out and thank the stranger who saved his life, but regulations did not permit him to know or contact his donor until two years post-transplant.<\/p>\n

As fate would have it, that two-year mark came and in November 2019, and on Mike\u2019s 30th<\/sup> birthday, he was gifted with the identity of his donor. Mike reached out, and the two have become friends. \u201cHer name is Christiane Kr\u00fcck and she is a 25-year-old speech therapist lives in Bavaria. We chat frequently. She has become like another sister to me, not to mention my genetic twin,\u201d he said. [Read Mike\u2019s Blog post Hello and Thanks For Saving My Life<\/a>.]<\/p>\n

Right of Way
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This October marks Mike\u2019s three-year stem cell birthday (he calls it his \u201cStem-Cell-ebration!\u201d). He is celebrating by training to race in a triathlon in 2022. \u201cPhysically, I\u2019m doing great! I graduated from doing my follow-up appointments at the Blood and Marrow Transplant clinic at Foothills Hospital, to the Long Term Survivorship Clinic at the Holy Cross Centre. It feels like a great step,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mike doesn\u2019t lament the detour in his journey \u2013 he is the type of person who leans into his faith and looks for the silver lining.<\/p>\n

\u201cI count my blessings. I\u2019m very thankful that I was able to make a near complete physical recovery. Having cancer has made me grateful to be alive. I\u2019m grateful for my wife, who never left my side, and for family and friends all over the world. I try not to think about what I\u2019ve lost, but what I\u2019ve gained,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

On this next leg of his journey, Mike hopes to put his personal experience with cancer in the rear view mirror, as he looks for ways to help others who are on a path he knows all too well.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been very therapeutic finding ways to give back to this community. I was on the receiving end and I really appreciated all the friends and family who rallied around us. At one point, someone told me there were 300 churches around the world praying for us \u2026 you can\u2019t help but marvel at the depths of human kindness.<\/p>\n

A big part of my purpose now is to help others going through this experience,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Hear Mike share in his own words on this webcast: Life after acute myeloid leukemia: Personal stories of hope<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Paying it Forward<\/h4>\n

Mike was so uplifted by the kindness and support he received throughout his cancer journey, he has made a commitment to back. Since Mike\u2019s cancer detour, he:<\/p>\n