Hamilton-raised hitmaker gives back to hospital
Diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma, Mark Howard turned to a pioneering program at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto to save his life
MARK HOWARD
has been given a second chance at life by an elite medical team at Toronto’s Princess Margaret Hospital that is helping him fight an aggressive form of skin cancer.
Now the world-renowned record producer and sound engineer is paying them back with a star-studded benefit concert Oct. 6 at Roy Thomson Hall, featuring Sarah McLachlan, Randy Bachman, Sam
Roberts, Sass Jordan and Ian Thornley.
He’s calling it “The Mark Howard & Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Grand Concert.” With tickets ranging in price from $100 to $250, Howard hopes to raise more than $250,000 for the hospital’s immunotherapy program.
“It’s for the research, it’s for the hospital,” Howard told The Spectator. “It’s going to save my life and it’s going to save many other lives.”
Howard, 54, grew up in Hamilton, attending Westdale Secondary before dropping out to pursue a life of art and music, working in local clubs, touring with Hamilton blues legend King Biscuit Boy and learning the ropes of recording at Grant Avenue Studio under the tutelage of Grammy-winning producer Daniel Lanois.
His production and engineering credits now read like a who’s who of the last 30 years of popular music, including Tom Waits, Willie Nelson, The Tragically Hip, U2, R.E.M., Neil Young, Lucinda Williams, Peter Gabriel, Ricki Lee Jones, Iggy Pop, Marianne Faithful and Emmylou Harris.
Bob Dylan personally thanked Howard from the podium of the Grammy Awards for his work on “Time Out of Mind,” which took album of the year honours in 1998.
HOWARD
HAS LIVED and worked in many places all over the world, but he’s always considered Hamilton home. Family and friends are still here. His parents and sister now live in Burlington.
In May, 2017, while living in Los Angeles, Howard asked a doctor to check out a large mole on his shoulder. It was removed, but came back quickly and aggressively. Howard had late stage melanoma, a highly aggressive form that spread to his liver, spleen and brain.
In Los Angeles, he underwent punishing radiation treatment, but the prognosis remained bleak. He lost more than 40 pounds, dropping to 118 from 160.
From his sister, Elaine Huisman, he heard about a pioneering immunotherapy program taking place at Princess Margaret in Toronto. His sister showed a doctor there, Marcus Butler, a photo of the tumour on Howard’s shoulder. Butler told her to get her brother to the hospital as soon as possible.
Howard began immunotherapy treatment in December. He couldn’t work and was short on cash. At first, he stayed at his sister’s home in Burlington, commuting to the hospital three or four times a week.
Friends back in the United States started a GoFundMe campaign, raising enough money to allow him to rent a small apartment near the hospital.
Once every three weeks, he receives an injection to help his immune system fight the cancer. Howard says his liver and spleen are now clean. He expects to continue with the treatment for another year.
“I’m doing much better than I was in April,” Howard, says. “I wasn’t able to get around. I was couch-ridden for a while. Now I’m up and out more often. I’m able to get up and do my own shopping. It feels good to be able to get out.”
As his strength returned, Howard decided to put his talents to work to help the hospital he believes saved his life. He began calling old friends, asking to see if they were available.
He had produced albums for both Ian Thornley and Sam Roberts, and had worked with Sarah McLachlan early in her career. They were happy to help. Sass Jordan was an old friend and Bachman is always ready to lend a hand for a good cause. People who couldn’t make it because of touring commitments promised to send videos. Expect some surprise guests as well.
Howard also hopes the concert will raise awareness about skin cancer. He never used sun screen, never considered melanoma as the aggressive killer he now knows it to be.
“I want to bring awareness of this cancer to everyone. People think ‘skin cancer, it’s nothing,’” he says. “It’s really, really serious. I want people to know that the sun is a deadly thing. You need to protect yourself. I was stupid and that’s why I got it.”
Howard now sees light at the end of the tunnel. He’s been able to return to his favourite pastime — motorbiking — as well as write a book, entitled “Listen Up,” about his career in music. It will be published next year by Canadian indie publisher ECW Press.
“I feel very positive about it right now,” he says. “There’s days when it catches up with me, but I’m trying to stay focused, getting the concert done and this book out.”
His production and engineering credits now read like a who’s-who of the last 30 years of popular music, including Tom Waits, Willie Nelson, The Tragically Hip, U2, R.E.M., Neil Young, Lucinda Williams, Peter Gabriel, Ricki Lee Jones, Iggy Pop, Marianne Faithful and Emmylou Harris.