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EBONY WINDOMHis body wracked by illness, Mark Welch is determined to live his last days helping others.
The doctors tell Mark Welch he is dying. He has suffered six major strokes, including one that wiped out much of his memory.
Now cancer has spread to his lymphatic system. But Welch, 51, says he isn't ready to go. He has work to do for the community. It's what has kept him going.
"The fact that no matter how bad off you are, you still have a worth to somebody," said Welch, who checked into the James A. Haley VA Medical Center on Thursday. Doctors have told him they don't expect him to live through the weekend. "It's not what you take with you, it's what you leave."
Welch's legacy will be one of service to Christian Social Services of Lutz and Land O'Lakes. To Welch, his two years of service is just repaying a debt.
"In my younger days, I was ticked off about being this way," Welch said of his poor health.
A church with ties to Christian Social Services helped lift his spirits when he was down and out.
A second battle with cancer landed the Vietnam veteran in Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Nursing Home four years ago. He expected to die there.
Welch looked forward to weekly visits from a youth group at First United Methodist Church of Land O'Lakes. The teens were his only regular visitors.
"I don't have any family," said Welch, who refuses to find his relatives because he doesn't want to burden them with his health problems.
The church became his family. Every Sunday, the teens treated the vets to worship and lunch. Sometimes, they would play the piano and sing. Among the chaperones was Jacquie Petet, executive director of Christian Social Services.
Welch's health remained poor, but his attitude changed. Instead of looking forward to dying, he started looking forward to living.
"They came out and cared," he said of the church group. "You always get the ones that are in there one day, and you never see them again. I like things that have a consistent factor to it."
When Welch left the nursing home, he began attending First United Methodist. He was getting a fresh start.
For the past two years, he has been giving back. Welch, owner of Christian Brothers Electronics in Land O'Lakes, has logged long hours repairing toasters and televisions. After paying operating costs, he donated all profits to Christian Social Services of Lutz and Land O'Lakes.
"There are not very many businesses that give everything away," Petet said.
Every month, Welch has given the charity a check. Some months the check was small, but Petet says "every dollar counts." His donations average $2,400 per year.
His money is used to provide financial assistance for people who need help such as emergency food and rent, said Dan Johnson, director of development for Christian Social Services.
Since he opened the shop Welch has worked six days a week, despite doctors' orders to stay in bed. It's difficult for him to maneuver his electric wheelchair around his small shop. His work station is cramped but organized. His Way, the unauthorized biography of Frank Sinatra, sits on his desk in a back corner of the shop.
During a recent visit, Welch used a screwdriver and a steady right hand to repair a computer for a customer. Born a lefty, he learned to use his right hand after a stroke paralyzed his left side. He still works fast. Wearing magnifiers over his eyes, his bushy red brows furrow as he concentrates on his latest project.
"I get everything done the same day," Welch said proudly. "If I need parts then it's the next day. Never longer than that."
Welch keeps his fees competitive. His strategy is simple:
"A flat rate of $25 per piece," he said. "Whether I work five minutes or five hours on it."
His focus is on the charity, not himself. Welch insists he's not a rich man. He lives in a modest mobile home. Before his health declined, his dinners consisted mostly of canned chili.
"I get my military pension. It's more than I need," Welch said. "I'd probably be poor by a lot of people's standards."
Folks would argue that Welch is rich in spirit.
"His motivation is that he's a good Christian," Johnson said.
Welch insists he's "no more religious than the next guy."
"I feel like I've fulfilled an obligation," he said. "I'll do it as long as I can."
- Ebony Windom can be reached at 813 909-4609 or toll-free 1-800-333-7505, ext. 4609. Her e-mail address is ewindom@sptimes.com