On The Mark

Cancer life is unpredictable. When we began this journey eight months ago we told each other we needed to live one day at a time, praying for strength for the day, knowing that, just like manna for God’s people before Christ, he will give what we need for every day. The challenge is that there are times throughout this journey when things are actually predictable, and then just when we begin to assume a certain direction, the path changes again. It’s been a week of God continuing to surprise us with bends in the river. Relationships that we assumed were going well unexpectedly ended. Work travel that we assumed would continue didn’t happen. And a smooth road to the last round of chemotherapy for Markus is now uncertain. Markus was recovering well from the second to last round and was looking forward to a week preparing for the “field races.” For those unfamiliar with that, think old beater cars and an empty corn field with a few hay bales directing traffic. It’s quite fun for both

Fathers with their sons in a post-ride pic (from l-r: Ray & Jacob, Cam & Levi, Mike & Markus) A week ago Markus came home from his 12 th round of chemotherapy treatments. It took a few days to get his energy levels and appetite back but by Thursday he was feeling pretty good. We were asked by Make-A-Wish to share our story at a golf tournament in Langley and Markus said he was okay with that if he didn’t have to do any of the talking. 😊 It was a good opportunity to share our journey and also publicly acknowledge the blessing of Make-A-Wish to kids with cancer. Yesterday was the Ride for Wishes and what a ride it was! The pictures below tell the story. If you are still interested in sponsoring the Fathers of Fighters you can donate here . This week is a short round of chemo, the second to last one. For the rest Markus is keeping himself busy by helping out at the Beekman Auctions. We are thankful that Markus is able to do things that don’t require too much physical

As you would have read in  a previous post , Markus’ cancer journey benefited greatly from Make-A-Wish. This fall we learned of an opportunity to help give back to Make-A-Wish through the Ride for Wishes , a cycling fundraiser. I pitched the idea to my brother-in-law Cam Aikema and my friend Ray Bredenhof that we go for a 150km bike ride and try raise some funds. And they went for it! We are Dads of kids with cancer and all three of our families benefited from  Make-A-Wish. Make-A-Wish exists to, "create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses” as research shows that children who have wishes granted helps to build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight a critical illness." All three of us Dads can attest to this! Please consider supporting our efforts here: Thanks so much for your support! Ray Bredenhof, Mike Schouten, Cam Aikema and families It will be a challenge but it's so worthy! 

Today Markus begins his 12 th round of chemotherapy. The past two weeks have been very pleasant for him. He’s only had to come to the hospital once for bloodwork and has been able to spend quality time with his family and friends. This past weekend he even went to the Okanagan with a few of his friends, and even though he couldn’t take part in surfing and wakeboarding it was so good that he could just take a break from the “cancer life” for a few days. Today is also our 25 th wedding anniversary. With the events of this year, we’ve had lots to reflect on. We live near a river and have spent many hours walking along its banks, and even swimming in its pools on hot summer days. The river is a place of tranquility for us and many a good conversation has been had in its presence. The river reminds us that it is not always the straight path that leads us to where we must go. At the beginning of 2021 life was moving forward with seemingly predictable certainty. Then, as Markus said i