My son had brain surgery and wants Mark to know
This is very random; my ten year old son recently had brain surgery to remove an AVM and has been listening to Mark’s audiobook on repeat (he is a big Blink fan) and finding a lot of comfort in Mark’s cancer journey. He wrote something for Mark and we’re wondering if he ever checks this forum?
Edit: This is the original email I wrote and sent to himynameismark, I believe. It was a couple of weeks ago, right before my son got his diagnosis and a week before his surgery. He’s recovering now and doing well but struggling with restrictions to his otherwise active life. Can’t get over how awesome and supportive this community is, thank you.
Hi, Mr. Hoppus. I am not sure if you’ll ever see this message, but it’s 4am on the east coast in Maine, I’m a little delirious, and my ten year old kid is in an MRI machine, in a room I’m not allowed in, and I can’t stop thinking about your book.
I am, I guess, a second wave Blink fan. I was 13 when TOYPAJ came out, and it transported me from pop music into punk, absolutely changing my life forever. And saving it, too, I think. Fast forward to now, and my ten year old son is likely your biggest fan. We saw your performance in NH last September - both of our first Blink shows. He was happy you played Josie, and I Online Songs and Roller Coaster.
The winter before last, I listened to your audiobook. I listened to it over the course of an entire day. I decided that it was mostly appropriate enough for Charlie and let him listen after I did.
He’s probably listened to that book at least eight times all the way through. He also owns a physical copy. Despite the fact that I am a librarian, he doesn’t like reading but boy, does he love Fahrenheit 182. We both do.
Today, Charlie had a seizure. This has never happened before. My life changed in seconds, maybe forever. They found a little bit of bleeding in the CT scan, so we came to Portland, Maine so that experts could monitor him all night and now, he’s in an MRI, alone. The tech asked if he wanted music and he said Blink, of course. I didn’t get to hear what album he decided on, but I’m going to guess either Dude Ranch or Enema. Maybe the untitled, because he knows that anyone unfamiliar with Blink needs to hear Feeling This.
He’s so calm, throughout this. Way more chill than my husband and I are on the inside. It could be a mass or growth, it could be something to do with his veins and arteries, it could just be a bump that didn’t get dealt with sooner. I don’t know yet. I’m in an empty waiting room, writing an email to Mark Hoppus.
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, not only as a veteran fan, but as a mom. I am fully convinced that Charlie is as calm and prepared for this as he is because of your cancer journey he’s read about and listened to so many times. Charlie is a drummer and guitarist, a skateboarder, and a hockey player. He’s a great friend and a very happy, wild kid. I really hope that he gets to keep being those things. Right now feels like one in a million. I know that it’s one in a million that you will ever see this, too, but hey.
Thank you. I can’t thank you enough for giving my baby the confidence to get through this first part of whatever journey we might be going down.
Also, you might appreciate that while reading your book in class, his teacher asked him to read part of it to her to see if he comprehended it. It was the part about the song Who’s Gonna Shave Your Back Tonight. I guess it could have been worse.
Thank you,
Mackenzie and Charlie Richard