Family Uses Qualified Charitable Distribution to Fund Brain Tumor Research
"Some children are just genuinely funny, and Mark was one of those," says Mary Alice Watson, as she described her late son's outgoing personality. "His teacher used to get upset with him for cracking jokes but finally just decided to give him 10 minutes at the beginning of class for his 'Johnny Carson moment' and start their day off with a laugh."
The happy 6-year-old continued to make others smile, even after he began experiencing frequent stomachaches and other health problems. When doctors were unable to pinpoint the source of his illness, a CAT scan revealed a mass in Mark's brain. "It was a malignant rhabdoid tumor," says Bob Watson, Mark's father. "At the time, there were only 16 cases in the world, and it was 100% fatal."
The extremely rare tumor, which occurs mainly in children, was highly aggressive, but the Watsons remained hopeful as their young son underwent four brain surgeries and chemotherapy over the next three years.
"After the first surgery in 1994, things looked promising when tests showed that the tumor was pretty much gone," explains Bob. "Later on, it came back."
Sadly, Mark passed away on July 30, 1997, a few days after his 10th birthday.
Grateful for the care Mark received at Texas Children's Hospital, his parents, family and friends are keeping his memory alive in a very special way. Their efforts began soon after Mark's death when Mary Alice returned to her teaching job at Klein Forest High School. She placed collection jars out for each of her five classes to raise money for Texas Children's, asked her students to "give from their heart" and offered to match whatever amount they raised. They raised $1,500 in just three weeks, enabling a gift of $3,000 in Mark's memory. The students then formed "Mark's Friends," and as a group, volunteered and fundraised for Texas Children's until they graduated.
Mary Alice and Bob Watson
It has been more than two decades since the Watsons lost their beloved Mark. Over the years, they've stayed in touch with Mark's physician, Dr. Susan Blaney, and were excited when she was named director of Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers. They recently toured the Centers' new facilities with Dr. Blaney and learned about the research she and her colleagues are conducting. They immediately wanted to do more to help.
The Watsons began collaborating with staff from Texas Children's Office of Philanthropy to explore options for supporting Dr. Blaney's work long term. They discovered that if they contributed at least $25,000, they could establish an endowment—a permanent fund that would grow and provide support for Texas Children's in perpetuity.
In this way, the Watsons could honor their son's memory while providing a reliable stream of annual support far into the future. In late 2019, they chose to establish the Mark Terán Watson Endowed Fund at Texas Children's, for the purpose of providing financial support for pediatric brain tumor research, using some of their retirement savings through a qualified charitable distribution (QCD).
"We love Texas Children's and know that Mark received the absolute best care that he could have gotten anywhere," Mary Alice says. "I know that he would be thrilled to be remembered in this way."
Contact Rachel S. Kronenberger at 832-824-6907 or rskronen@texaschildrens.org to learn how a gift in your estate plan can make an impact felt for generations at Texas Children's.
