Twenty Days

Three weeks tomorrow, and the marathon continues!
He is still on antibiotics to fight his infections, and his vitals have remained stable.
Mark is getting more responsive every day. He has so much he wants to say. In the past few days he has been shaking his head "yes" and "no," and is mouthing words, though with his current trach he is unable to speak. Some things are still understandable, while others are not. On Tuesday when mom came into his room and told him hello, he looked at her and mouthed "Hi mom." And when she told him she loved him, he mouthed "I love you." Even the nurse in his room recognized what he was saying. Then when mom told him it was time for her to go, he squeezed her hand and shook his head no.
Keep up the fight Mark! One day at a time. We are all here for you and can't wait until we can hear all that you want to tell us!

Mark's Passion..Article from Knox News October 2007

Home beer brewer blends a pinch of vocation and a dash of passion
MIKE BLACKERBYnews@knews.comFriday, October 12, 2007

Amy Smotherman Burgess
Home brewer Mark Moynihan explains his process for creating beer in his garage on Thursday in West Knoxville. Moynihan will be a volunteer at the East Tennessee Brewers' Jam on Saturday.



"Home Beer Brewer Blends a Pinch of Vocation and a Dash of Passion"

Much like one of his batches of brew, Mark Moynihan is an amalgam of the classic, the stereotypical and the modern home brewer.
The Knoxville resident said the home-brewing process isn’t just a mad rush to guzzle the end product; rather, it’s all about the journey.
Basic beer-making isn’t real complicated. It’s just a concoction of water, hops, malted barley and yeast.
Therein lies the mad scientist aspect of home brewing — vary those four ingredients and the cooking methodology to get the flavor you want. That’s when it gets complicated.
While he doesn’t brew in the catacombs of his basement, Moynihan said his hobby “forces me to have to park in the driveway instead of the garage.”
The 38-year-old Moynihan — a self-avowed “hop head” (connoisseur of pale ales) — will join several thousand beer lovers 1-7 p.m. Saturday at World’s Fair Park for the 11th annual Knoxville Brewers’ Jam.
The event benefits Community Shares of Tennessee and is regarded as one of the South’s premier craft beer and musical festivals.
Attendees can enjoy unlimited samples of more than 100 hand-crafted beers from 30-plus breweries. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 on Saturday.
Kris Lutz, Brewers’ Jam coordinator, said the event is a huge fundraiser for Community Shares, which raises money for 53 non-profit agencies across the state of Tennessee.
“We raised $70,000 during the Brewers’ Jam last year for our local Community Shares operation,” said Lutz, who expects about 5,000 attendees Saturday.
Moynihan, along with his brewing brethren at the Tennessee Valley Brewers Association, will be among them. An engineering student at the University of Tennessee, Moynihan has melded his avocation — welding — with his passion for home brewing, starting about a decade ago.
“I was doing a lot of stainless steel welding and was doing a project for a microbrewery in Tempe, Ariz.,” he said. “Through that I discovered how brewers make beer. I started making beer on the stovetop and said, ‘You know, I have the ability to make some really nice brew.’”
From those humble hops beginnings, Moynihan has gone high tech. His Heat Exchanged Recirculation Mash System is hardly your father’s home-brewing setup of years gone by.
“There’s a lot of engineering involved in it,” he said. “It’s 99.9-percent stainless steel, with three 18-inch tanks, a heat-exchanger I made myself and 20 to 30 feet of tubing. I picked a lot of brains when I was making this.”
Moynihan said his system is probably worth “around $5,000 to $6,000.”
By contrast, a basic home-brewing kit can be purchased for less than $100.
Moynihan said it typically takes about six hours to complete the actual brewing process. Then it’s another two weeks (ales) to six weeks (lagers) before the final product is ready to be tapped for consumption.
“A big misconception is some people want to try the beer the day you make it. When steam is rolling out of my garage, people in my neighborhood know they can come by in a couple of weeks and get a sample.”

Rally Of Support for Mark in Knoxville

Rally of support for burned welder Friday
By News Sentinel staffOriginally published 04:10 p.m., April 30, 2009Updated 04:10 p.m.
KNOXVILLE - Friends of a welder critically burned earlier this month in a mishap at a Calhoun's restaurant are planning a rally of support for the man.
Mark Moynihan, 40, is in serious condition at the Vanderbilt Medical Center Burn Unit. He was burned April 10 when flames erupted inside a tank he was welding at Calhoun's Bar-B-Q & Brew, 6515 Kingston Pike.
Lee Cantrell, a friend of Moynihan, said a rally will be held Friday from 6-8 p.m. at the pond at Pellissippi State Technical Community College as a show of support for the recovering man.
Cantrell said Moynihan is a student at Pellissippi State who was slated to graduate next month with a degree in mechanical engineering.
The informal gathering for the married Moynihan will allow friends and co-workers to say a few words in support of the burned man. Cantrell said Moynihan faces mulitple skin graft surgeries and at least nine months of recovery from his injuries.
Moynihan was featured in a 2007 News Sentinel story about his passion for brewing beer in his garage.

Blog On Hold

Thanks to all of you who have followed this blog daily. To Mark's many friends and family members, this has been a place for you to track Mark's progress and reach out with your thoughts, well wishes, and most importantly your prayers. This is typically the time of evening I would post the news of the day. Sadly however, I am now unable to provide you with updates on his status. Because I know how important this link has been to all of you, I feel obliged to explain to you that this is NOT by my choice. There are unfortunate decisions that have been made that no medical information is to be released to anyone, including Mark's family. Any information we are able to gain from our brief 30 minutes per day with Mark we will continue to pass on to you. I can tell you that as of this mornings visit, Mark was very responsive and trying to communicate. Vitals were all within normal ranges.
I pray that the realization is made soon that the actions playing out are only going to tear Mark down. I also pray that God will open eyes and allow Mark's needs to be placed first. Anyone who knows Mark knows what a large, loving family he has. We are all here for him, and it is incredibly important for his healing to be surrounded with the love of his family and positive thoughts.
PLEASE do not stop leaving encouraging comments for Mark, and continue to keep him in your prayers. (He needs them now more than ever) And when Mark is able to speak for himself, it will be important for him to know that we were all here in support of him.
As upsetting as this will be to many of you, I ask that you all PLEASE KEEP THIS BLOG POSITIVE. This blog was created to provide a source of information for those concerned about Mark and a place to leave encouraging words for him. That is how I want it to continue.
My direct email for anyone wishing to contact me off of the blog is andies75@yahoo.com.

Another Day Down

Today has been a relatively uneventful day. (uneventful=good) There have been some fluctuations in his vitals, and they restarted the meds to increase his blood pressure. His temperature has been a little low, (36.1 Celsius) but not to the point that they have placed him under the heat lamps.
He is increasingly responsive, and is now moving his lips trying to talk. It is great to have him look at us and respond, and to know that he understands what we say to him. But it's also frustrating for him that he can't communicate what he wants to say to us. That will come in time, and I'm sure he will have much to say.

Two Weeks!!!

Mark's surgery went smoothly today. He went in at 2:00pm and it took about 2 hours. They were able to replace some of the cadaver skin that wasn't taking, and Dr Guy says he is pleased with the results. His temp has been down since he came back from surgery, (It was 37.4 Celsius this evening.) and they have the heat lamps on him. His blood pressure is also down a bit this evening, but doesn't seem to be of concern to his doctors at this point.
Earlier in the day, the physical therapist began working with Mark's legs. Mark was alert, aware, and responding during the session. He was answering questions by blinking once for yes, and twice for no.
Dr Guy is now giving a projected time frame for placing the cultured skin in about 3 weeks. (If Mark behaves himself.)
It has been two weeks today since the accident, and Mark has come a long way already. There are a lot of miles left in this marathon, but he is on the right path and keeping a great pace.

April 23, 2009

Mark was a little more alert and responsive today. He was opening his eyes again, this time focusing on people, and following activity in the room. While mom talked to him, he looked at her and his eyes followed her movement. Then when the nurse came in, he looked toward her. He is clearly aware of the people around him. When he was told how good his face and lips looked, he ran his tongue along both his top and bottom lip, as if to feel for himself.
More hydro therapy for him today, and tomorrow he is still on for surgery. The surgical schedule will not be made until sometime later tonight in order to assess the priority of the other surgeries to be done tomorrow.
His vitals have all remained stable today, with only a slight fever this evening. No new blood culture results yet, but the lung cultures are negative.
Overall, today has been a positive day. Keep 'em coming Mark!