Mark Terrian is what most people would consider to be a pretty healthy and active guy.
He doesn’t drink. He doesn’t smoke. He bicycles 80 to 100 miles a week and competes in races.
That’s why it was such a complete shock when the 50-year-old Oxford resident and father of three was diagnosed with stage four rectal cancer on Aug. 24.
‘It’s just devastating,? Terrian said. ‘You don’t know what to do. You’re kind of lost. When you find out what stage it’s at, it’s even worse.?
‘It was surreal. I just couldn’t believe it,? said Terrian’s wife of 27 years, Teresa. ‘It changed my world instantly.?
Not one to just throw his hands in the air and quit, Terrian is gearing up for what will literally be the fight of his life and the community is rallying behind him.
A fund-raising page entitled ?#TERRIANTOUGH Cancer Battle? has been set up on the gofundme.com website.
The goal is to raise $20,000 to help cover everything from medical bills to the Terrian family’s living expenses.
So far, $5,825 has been donated by 73 people in nine days.
‘It’s humbling to have these people give us this money to help us survive and get through this situation,? said Terrian, who served 22 years in the Michigan Air National Guard at the Selfridge base in Harrison Township.
‘It’s amazing,? he continued. ‘I just don’t know what to say to everybody. I just want to thank everybody.?
‘It’s very overwhelming,? Teresa said. ‘I’m very humbled by the outpouring of support. I would have never thought it would be like this.?
Teresa is doing her best to stand by her husband and help him in any way she can.
‘I’m his caregiver,? she said. ‘I’m going to all the (medical) appointments with him, being his cheerleader, making sure he stays positive.?
Also providing support are the Terrians? three children ? Dylan, a senior at OHS; Carson, an eighth-grader at OMS; and Baillie, a 2012 OHS graduate.
To Terrian, the kicker here is he’s not one who’s prone to illness.
‘I’ve never missed a day of work in the last 15 years,? he said. ‘I barely get a cold or even the flu in the wintertime.?
Terrian works two jobs. He’s employed at Barron Industries off Oakwood Rd. in Oxford Township and at Performance Bicycle in Bloomfield Hills.
To him, this whole thing is somewhat surreal because he doesn’t feel like he has cancer.
‘I still, to this minute, feel fine,? he said. ‘I don’t feel any different than I did six months ago.?
In fact, the only reason he went to the doctor was because he noticed some blood in his stool.
‘I didn’t think it was more than possibly a hemorrhoid,? Terrian said. ‘I didn’t really have any other symptoms to go by.?
When Terrian saw the blood, he didn’t hesitate to get a checkup and find out what was wrong.
This week, he began undergoing a six-month regimen of chemotherapy. He will also need five-and-a-half weeks of radiation treatments and surgery.
‘I don’t know what my prognosis is as of now. They really haven’t said,? Terrian said. ‘It has spread. There’s three spots in my liver and spots in my lungs.?
While that’s definitely not good news, Terrian isn’t about to let it get him down.
‘I’m staying positive and going to try to kick its ass,? he said.