Group Helps Terminally Ill Utah Man Fulfill Final Wishes
Nov 14, 2019, 8:40 PM | Updated: 8:46 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — A small group gathered at Raw Tin Garage Thursday to help fulfill a terminally ill Utah man’s final wishes.
The group was there to create a special moment for 42-year-old Mark Reynolds, who has down syndrome and has battled cancer in the past.
“Just to watch Mark today, he was in the moment. No matter what happens tomorrow or next week, today he was in the moment,” said Raw-Tin Garage owner Mark Reynolds.
The day included a special photoshoot with Harley Davidson motorcycles, Miss Utah and Santa Claus.
Mark recently underwent emergency surgery for a bowel obstruction and doctors found an aneurysm in his heart.
“When they went in and did the operation, he ended up being septic and went into heart failure,” shared Nicole Reynolds, Mark’s cousin and caretaker.
While Mark and his family don’t know how much time he has left, Mark is making the most of it — while making others happy.
“I believe as a family, we are just kind of quality over quantity at this point,” Nicole said.“Everything is unpredictable right now. He’s not a candidate to undergo any kind of surgical procedures as far as his heart goes to repair that or remove the aneurysm. Only time can tell.”
Knowing how precious Mark’s time is, the Mascot Miracles Foundation stepped in to help make some of Mark’s biggest dreams a reality.
“He got to be here today with the motorcycles and obviously seeing Miss Utah, which is amazing to Mark,” Nicole said.
Mark Reynolds, 42, has an aneurysm in his heart and family members said they don’t know how much time he has left.
Mark said his last wish is to visit West Wendover and perform live, on stage.
“He’s always said that he wanted to perform in front of a live audience that’s huge and so he gets to make that dream a reality,” Nicole said.
It’s in this way that Mark reminded us sometimes life isn’t about changing the outcome — it’s about enjoying today.
“The opportunity to go and fulfill the rest of his dreams is just phenomenal,” Nicole said.
Mark has been invited to join the Garage Boys Band on stage in West Wendover on Saturday. He will help them perform “Saturday Night.”
