11/19/2025
Mark’s Story:
Mark’s journey began about a year ago when he learned he needed a kidney transplant and was officially placed on the transplant list in December 2024. He was quickly blessed with a perfect donor match, a very good friend from work.
During his pre-transplant testing, doctors noticed some pressure on the right side of his heart and sent him for further testing. In May, a heart catheterization revealed two blockages—one being the widow maker 90% blocked—and a valve that needed to be replaced. That day we met the doctor who would save Marks life multiple times throughout his stay at Vandy.
His open-heart surgery was scheduled for June 19th at Vanderbilt Hospital. What was supposed to be a 4-5 hour surgery turned into a 9-hour procedure. At first, things seemed to go, but within 24 hours, everything changed.
Mark coded, causing him to aspirate, which led to pneumonia. Pneumonia was followed by a series of complications that nearly took his life multiple times. During his three and a half-month stay in the CVICU, he endured:
Multiple surgeries to address internal bleeding in his lumbar and buttocks arteries
Multiple breathing tubes inserted
Placement of several heart stents
A feeding tube
Nasogastric (NG) tube
A tracheostomy to help him breathe
A ruptured gallbladder that caused sepsis
Emergency surgery to remove 12 cm of his intestine, leaving him with a temporary ileostomy bag
During the entire time in hosptial, Rhonda, Lauren and Jordan spent nearly every day by his side—often arriving at the hospital by 5 AM—whether there was a surgery, a setback, or a small sign of progress.
On September 8th, Mark was finally stable enough to transfer to a specialty hospital, where he was weaned off the trach. After a month long stay there, he was moved to a rehabilitation center where he received three hours of physical therapy a day and dialysis three times a week. After lots of sweat and tears, Mark was released and able to return home on November 13th! We are so happy to have him home!
Many of you have asked how you can help support Mark during his recovery. While we always appreciate prayers, any monetary support (link to support website linked below) would also be greatly appreciated, as insurance doesn’t cover many essentials such as:
Travel expenses between Franklin and Nashville
Uncovered medical costs including ambulance rides and surgeries
Long-term assistance/home care
Follow-up appointments and procedures at Vanderbilt
His ileostomy reversal surgery
And, if he chooses, his future kidney transplant
Thank you all for joining us on this wild ride. We are so thankful for all of you.
Cheers to Mark!
https://www.supportnow.org/the-jackson-family-af215829-0328-43b1-8068-739dc8402c1d/updates/finally-home-df107c95-5df9-499a-9385-636d3a10f7e1
