A Southern MD Neighbor Needs Your Support

From Great Mills Trading Post

Help Us Find a Kidney Donor for Our Friend and Colleague, Mark Cullison

Dear Valued Partner,

I hope this message finds you well. I’m reaching out not with a business request, but with a deeply personal one that affects someone very close to our company family.

Our colleague and friend, Mark Cullison, has been courageously battling kidney disease since 2023. He recently began dialysis, and after much encouragement, he has agreed to let us reach out beyond our immediate circle in hopes of finding a living kidney donor.

A living donor could give Mark the incredible gift of restored health and many more years with his family and the work he loves. Finding a match often depends on spreading the word as widely as possible — and that’s where we need your help.

We ask that you please consider sharing Mark’s story and this need with your employees, families, and communities. The more people who know, the greater the chance of finding a life-saving match.

Anyone interested in learning more can:

• Call 410-614-9345 to speak directly with the Johns Hopkins transplant coordinator, or
• Complete a donor candidate form online: Johns Hopkins Medicine – Living Donors: The Gift of Life
  
  

For additional information, you can also review the Living Donor Handbook.

On behalf of everyone here, thank you for taking the time to read and share this message. Your compassion and support could truly help change — and save — a life.

With sincere gratitude,

Karen Siebert
President & CFO Great Mills Trading Post

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Heartfelt From The Family

Dear Friends, 

Mark and Dana Cullison

Some of you know that our dad (and Pop),

Mark Cullison was diagnosed in April 2023 with

kidney disease. The disease was further complicated

by an allergic reaction to contrast used during a biopsy procedure. His disease has rapidly progressed to end-stage renal failure and his treatment options are limited to dialysis treatments or a kidney transplant.

Our dad has started dialysis treatments, three times a week for four hours at a time. The dialysis helps his kidneys function, but a transplant is really the only path to a longer, healthier, more normal life. A transplant from a living donor will give him more time to spend with his family and friends, while also continuing to work and give back to the community. This if you know our dad, has been the thing that brings him the most joy.

A lifelong resident of Great Mills, MD, he has been a steadfast supporter of his community. Our dad’s story is not that different from the average St. Mary’s County resident. He taught us the value of hard work, but also the importance of giving back to the community. Dad has been involved in many charity and community projects through his work at Great Mills Trading Post and other ventures and has contributed immensely through the years to the welfare of St. Mary’s County and its residents.

Mark Cullison and 5 grandkids

As all of us find out at some point in life, time is the most precious commodity on Earth. The greatest gift anyone can give someone else is time. That is what we are asking you to consider. Giving our dad more time to witness important life events, like his son’s marriage next April. Time to spend with our mom, his devoted wife, Dana, of 42 years, but most importantly, times to witness his 5 grandchildren grow up.

Finding a kidney for a transplant is not easy, and time is not on our side. There are more than 100,000 people on the waiting list for a deceased donor, and the average wait time is five years or more for a kidney from a deceased donor. However, there is another option: receiving a kidney from a living donor. Asking family, friends, and neighbors to consider becoming a living donor is a big ask, and we know this is a very personal decision and there is a lot to consider. You can get more information about becoming a living donor here:

For more information on kidney donation or to complete the form online, please visit the following link: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/transplant/programs/kidney/living-donors

Living Donors - The Gift of Life | Johns Hopkins Medicine

We are so grateful for your consideration of our request for this life-saving treatment for our dad.

All information is private and confidential and any potential donor can make the choice to back away from the process at any point.

We thank you sincerely for your consideration and support.

With love,

The Cullison Family