Hadley Twp.- Mark McElrath awoke with a nosebleed on Sept. 18 that would change his life.
McElrath had been looking forward to Homecoming Week at Goodrich High School where he is a junior, but instead he would spend most of the next four days in the hospital, hemorrhaging and losing 18 pounds off his thin frame.
An ear, nose and throat specialist was called in after packing and cauterizing the nosebleed failed and on Sept. 22, after the bleeding had finally stopped, a scope of his nose revealed the cause of the bleed– a growth in Mark’s left nostril.
Mark and his parents, Trisha and Alan McElrath, were initially told it could be a cyst. But after a cat scan and MRI, the growth was determined to be a tumor the size of a baseball and covering the left side of Mark’s nasal passage, his entire left cheek and the area under his left eye.
‘It was scary stuff,? says Mark’s mother, Trisha McElrath. ‘We spent the whole weekend not knowing if it was cancerous or not.?
The following Monday, to their relief, they learned it was a benign tumor known as Juvenile Nasoangiofibroma (JNA). The tumor is very rare, comprising less than a half-percent of all brain tumors. They are found only in males, only during adolescence and are known to be hormone-caused.
‘He had probably had it for a few years,? Trisha McElrath said. ‘The nose bleed was a blessing in disguise, because it could have grown and wrapped around his brain.?
Instead of being in costume and trick-or-treating on Halloween, 16-year-old Mark McElrath was in a hospital gown on a surgical table for five hours.
The surgery, called an embolization, was performed to see which vessels were feeding the tumor. Mark was to have another surgery, one expected to last 12-14 hours, on Nov. 3.
A surgical team and maxillofacial reconstructive team, each comprised of three surgeons, will perform the surgery at the University of Michigan. Incisions will be made in three different areas including a cut across the skull, but scarring should be minimal and should be hidden once Mark’s hair grows back. To remove the tumor, Mark’s cheekbone and jaw will be broken. Titanium plates and screws will be used to put Mark’s cheek and jaw back together. Doctors expect him to make a full recovery.
Just two days before his main surgery, Mark lay on the couch in his home, covered with a blanket, resting. The honor student with the 4.0 GPA has missed 11 days of school since his ordeal began and after the surgery is expected to miss six weeks. Trisha McElrath, a court reporter, will take unpaid time off work to care for her son. Mark’s father Alan, a GM dye engineer, will also miss work.
Lori Brewer, has organized a fundraiser ‘Cut for the Cause!? to help the family. Brewer is an employee of Glitz Salon in Rochester and a friend of the family. She and other hairdressers from the Glitz salons in Rochester, Clarkston and Orion Township will cut hair from 7:30 a.m.- 7 p.m., Nov. 15 at Goodrich High School, 8029 S. Gale Road. A minimum donation of $15 is requested, with all proceeds to go to the family.
‘We’ve really focused on this being benign and treatable,? says Trisha McElrath, Mark’s mother. ‘He’s got the whole world praying for him. We couldn’t get through this without all the support from family, friends and our church. We feel blessed.?
Mark said he was embarrassed at first with all the attention, but is thankful for the support. Teachers have volunteered to come to his home to teach him and bring him other homework and he notes they don’t get paid for that.
‘I can’t say enough good things about the school,? says Mark.
Mark’s brother, Nick, a sophomore at the University of Michigan, has also been at his brother’s side as much as he can, with support from U-M professors.
In the future, Mark wants to attend U-M to study engineering. But for now, he is looking forward to putting this ordeal behind him and he has a plan for any leftover money from the fundraiser.
‘I would like to make a donation to U-M tissue research to find out what causes this,? he said.

‘Cut for the Cause!? is 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m., Nov. 15, at Goodrich High School, 8029 S. Gale Road. A minimum donation of $15 is requested to cut clean hair. For more information, call (810) 636-2999.