On Saturday 19th December, Mark underwent his 13 hour surgery. At 19:09 his family sent out the message that we had all been waiting for. The surgery was successful and he was on his way to ICU. The next few days were an agonising wait for Marelize, Shannon and Logan as they waited for updates from the hospital. The next day, the doctors called to say that Mark was stable but still under sedation.

By Tuesday evening Mark was beginning to show small signs of consciousness, a small twitch and smile but he remained on a ventilator and other support. On Wednesday morning we received an update to say that Mark was awake and using hand gestures to communicate with the staff. By the afternoon, Marelize, Shannon and Logan were finally able to communicate directly to Mark via video call. Although Mark was unable to speak, he was able to hear and see them. The wait for this moment must have seemed like an eternity.

Today we heard that Mark is still in ICU with a ventilator and other support. The hospital reported that he is strong and fighting hard. He has a long way to go but what may seem like small steps are actually monumental steps in the right direction.

"Once you chose hope, anything is possible.'

Keep fighting Mark, we are all right beside you.

Please continue to keep Mark and his family close in your thoughts and prayers.