Mark Alinsunurin was diagnosed with leukemia in 2004.  His cancer went into remission twice before it recurred  in 2010.  He had joined the Navy in 2001 and was on temporary leave while he received treatment.   During this time he had the loving support of his parents, who relocated from Mississippi to be nearby, as well as his sister Rachel, from Alaska, and her boyfriend and Mark's best friend, Andy.  Rachel and Andy stayed at the Fisher House on three occasions before Mark passed in August.  

Staff knew that Rachel and Andy were grateful for the convenience of Fisher House to the medical center, allowing them to spend as much time as possible with Mark.   What came as a surprise was how much Mark had loved the healing garden.

"Mark had a beautiful garden at home and so he was very interested to watch the construction of the healing garden.  He wanted to come to the dedication but there were too many people and we had to watch his immune system.   So I brought him over in the evening and he fell in love with it.  His own style was eclectic and meticulous; he really responded to the design of this garden and just loved spending time in it.  I brought him over whenever I could; he wasn't one to lie around his room. If he was up to it, he was out doing things".

Rachel revealed this to Manager Cecile Bagrow when she asked permission to have a simple memorial service for Mark in the garden:   "There are so many people in the hospital who were involved in his care over the years and who wanted to pay their respects.  He loved the garden so much; I couldn't think of a better place to hold his memorial".

Bagrow couldn't think of a more fitting place, either.    "It was a wonderful use of the garden," she said.  "It's lovely to know that the garden brought so much joy and comfort to Mark in his last days and that it could provide a place for the community that loved him to come together to celebrate his life".