by Maria Khan
Staff Writer
Books with titles like Don't Say I Can't and Strategies for Creative Problem Solving blanket the wooden coffee table. A lap desk rests in the corner, patiently waiting to be put to use.
Next to the brown velour sofa, in direct view of the television, Mark Fearing sits. A motorized wheelchair serves as his legs and prosthetics with metal clamps are his arms and hands.
He could be the subject of any one of the inspirational books he reads.
In September 1995, while living in New Zealand, virulent meningitis seized Fearing and held him hostage. The bacteria staked his body and ravaged it, leaving him a quadruple paraplegic and deaf in one ear with partial hearing loss in the other.
After spending 53 days in a coma, he woke up with memory loss as well.
Fearing, who received his doctorate in management studies from the University of Houston in 1993, talks about Survive the Savage Sea, a book he just finished.
"A yacht capsizes and the people had to use their wits to survive," Fearing says. "I can relate to survival. I'm a survivor myself." Fearing's blue eyes show no signs of fatigue or weariness, only the determination and zeal necessary to improve his life.
***
"I have seen people die within 12 hours of the first symptoms," Dr. Luis Castillo, an infectious-disease specialist, said. According to Castillo, the first signs of meningitis are similar to flu symptoms.
The disease is highly contagious and first settles in the throat, which is why the first symptoms are flu-like and non-descript. This can be dangerous because the disease progresses rapidly and victims often don't receive the necessary treatment in time.
The two key factors affecting a patient's response to this bacterial invasion are the aggressiveness of the meningitis and the resistance of the patient, Castillo said.
Different strains of meningitis range from highly aggressive to tamer versions. The patient's ability to fight the disease is different for each individual and is dictated by the victim's genes.
***
A loud buzz comes from the wheelchair as Fearing moves the seat back and forth, almost like he is sitting in a rocking chair. He smiles and raises his eyebrows once he's done playing with the wheelchair.
"He didn't remember proposing to me," says Julie Johnson, Fearing's fiancee. "He still doesn't."
"Of course not," he interrupts.
She gently kicks his wheelchair and laughs.
"He also has selective hearing. When I tell him to work harder, he chooses not to hear me. Right, Mark?"
Fearing feigns deafness and then both laugh.
"I only hear what I want to," he says.
Fearing and Johnson returned from New Zealand four weeks ago so Fearing could receive medical treatment at The Institute of Rehabilitation and Research in the medical center.
"When Mark's roommate called to tell me that Mark was in the hospital, I didn't understand the severity of it," says Johnson, a petite blonde whose composed manner and upbeat attitude have been a boon to Fearing.
She immediately caught a flight to New Zealand and has been caring for Fearing since.
"He tried to push me away when he gained consciousness," Johnson says. "He told his brother he had to be cruel to be kind."
But when he realized she wouldn't leave, Fearing gave in, perhaps the only time he would do so since succumbing to the illness.
"He's just as up as he could be. A real inspiration to be around and talk with," said Professor Richard Scamell, who coached the softball team Fearing played for while attending UH.
Johnson and Fearing were supposed to get married at St. Anne's Church on Dec. 16, 1995. Fearing's recovery has put that prospect on hold indefinitely.
"Mark's rehab is all I can focus on," says Johnson. "Can you imagine looking for a nurse attendant and flowers at the same time?" she adds with a laugh.
***
Medical treatment is expensive, but when it entails the extensive treatment that Fearing requires, the cost becomes a weighty and unnecessary burden.
Fearing's medical bills may go up to $500,000 said Jack Ivancevich, UH provost and a tutor/mentor to Fearing during his dissertation.
"We've had students that have had personal problems, but not as monumental as this. This is a long-term situation that this man is faced with," Ivancevich said.
Holland & Davis, a management consulting firm, is currently spearheading fundraising efforts for Fearing. Fearing worked for the firm as a part-time consultant while he was a professor of Commerce Business Management at UH.
"Once we found out about his illness - when we knew they were coming back - Mr. Holland wanted us to do anything to help out," said Toni Ambrosy, office manager/controller at Holland & Davis.
Because he was living in New Zealand, Fearing has no health insurance and will not be eligible for Medicare until he has received benefits from Social Security for at least two years.
Fearing's treatment is all private care, and a huge percentage of the total fee is supposed to be paid up front.
A meeting with various UH officials, including Ivancevich, and representatives of Holland & Davis was held last week to brainstorm for possible solutions to Fearing's monetary needs.
At present, a trust fund is being set up in Fearing's name where personal contributions can be made. In the meantime, any donations can be made in Fearing's name in care of Holland & Davis.
"All we're asking for is time for fund raising," Johnson said.
***
The illness may have left its rare and austere signature on Fearing, but he refuses to be held hostage by it.
Just like a regular job, Fearing rises at 6 a.m. every weekday to go for treatment.
From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., he goes through physiotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, neurological assessments and exercise classes. A grueling day, he often comes home sapped of all energy.
However, the price is well worth the work because, in four weeks of treatment, Fearing has made rapid progress.
Whereas he could not stand on his knees without the support of two other people, he now stands on his own by holding onto an object (table or wall) for support.
The newfound ability to remove the prosthetics on his own is one that Fearing finds humorous.
"I never thought I'd say, 'I'm taking my arms off,'" Fearing says as he gestures with his hands, showing they are part of him even if they are not the originals.
Small tasks, like combing hair, brushing teeth and eating with utensils, become great mountains to climb, but Fearing is not one to shy from a challenge.
He raises the prosthetic, metal hands in front of his mouth, and demonstrates how he brushes his teeth now. But flossing can be tricky, he says.
Shaving, however, he isn't ready for.
"I might cut myself. She does that for me, bless her heart," he says as he nods at Johnson and smiles.
His perfectly trimmed goatee is testament to Johnson's expertise in this area.
Also, volunteers at TIRR serve as an inspiration to Fearing, particularly Floyd Grays, who lost both arms to electric shock.
Grays taught Fearing to take his shirt off without the prosthetics.
"He has legs, the lucky bastard," Fearing says with a laugh.
In the face of what most would call tragedy, Fearing and Johnson have remained positive, striving together to the ultimate goal of independence for Fearing.
The treatment Fearing is receiving at TIRR is more aggressive than that in New Zealand, where the approach to medicine is to let nature take its course, Johnson said.
"I want to walk again," Fearing says as he tries to loosen the brace on his leg, placed there to straighten his knee.
"Another device of torture," he mutters as Johnson leans in and removes the brace for him. She tells him to straighten his leg and when he does so, praises him with a smile and words of encouragement.
"We refuse to accept anything less. No one has told us we can't," Johnson says.
"He's an amiable, upbeat guy, and even after all he's been through, amazingly still is," said Barry Robichaux, a former colleague at Holland & Davis.
Fearing and Johnson refuse to concede defeat to the results of the illness, although frustration and self-pity are easy traps to fall into and even harder to escape from.
"This kind of frustration comes and goes," says Johnson.
"Every other minute," interjects Fearing as he lowers his arm and hooks Johnson's shoelace with his metal hand.
"But we know what kind of life we want, and we know it's not this. We will do whatever to change it," says Johnson as Fearing pulls her foot up, trying to untie her shoelace.
"Stop it, Mark."
Her foot falls to the ground as the lace unravels and stretches to its full length.
"Did I do that?" asks Fearing with a sideward glance and slight grin.
"Don't be coy with me," Johnson scolds in a most unscolding manner.
Laughter, it's been said, is the best medicine.