Mark

This is a note of appreciation for my boyfriend, Mark.

Ever since I have known Mark, he has been the hardest working person I have ever known. He spends most of his waking hours at his place of employment giving 100% of his attention to the project at hand. He is a bit of an overachiever. He is extraordinarily bright and his enthusiasm is boundless.

Mark is *on* all day long. I think everyone who knows Mark knows that when he is with you, you have his full attention. He is alert and paying you the respect you deserve when you speak with him. He is at work before 7 am most days and doesn't leave until after 7 pm most days. Sounds like a work-a-holic, right? Sounds like work is the most important thing in his life, right?

Wrong.

From the moment I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, Mark has been with me every step of the way. He attends every medical appointment with me, he talks to each of my doctors with me. He is well known in all of my Medical Teams' offices, and very well-liked, too! He is more popular than me. The girls go goo-goo. Everyone knows Mark because he has been on the telephone with them so often: making appointments, discussing insurance, shuffling appointments, you name it. I rarely get questions anymore. Mark says my job is to crack the jokes...he will take care of everything else.

Mark doesn't have the kind of job that allows him any kind of solitude whatsoever. He has people buzzing into his office around the clock. I am not sure that has anything to do with his job, actually, I think it is just Mark. People like to be around him - he is smart and has an amazing ability to get the job done - whatever the job. He is amazing at cutting through the b.s. to get to the heart of any given situation and get it solved. It is incredible. Some people are lucky to have a long commute to help calm down after such draining days. Poor Mark's commute is only about ten minutes.

Yet, even though he spend so much of his day interacting with so many people, Mark still finds the time to listen to me when he gets home...and I usually have lots to say! He listens to me every night while I go through the entire cycle: excited, happy, and then scared, sad & tearful. He holds me and consoles me, and tells me how everything is going to be alright. Mark never tells me what I should do or what I shouldn't do. It used to be that Mark never told me what I was going to do. But now he does. He tells me I am going to get through Breast Cancer. And that I must. And I believe him. And I will.

Mark, you are wonderful.