- May 3, 2024
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For Mark C. Green, barbecue is not only a food, it’s a passion. And it's a welcome distraction from the cancer that is consuming more and more of his attention.
On Fridays, his truck, pulling a trailer with a smoker perched on top of it can be seen making the rounds through Flagler County, starting at Stone Plus with stops in Town Center, at Tom Gibbs Chevrolet, AK Tires, Marvin Gardens and St. Joe Plaza, just to name a few, before arriving at Pinch-a-Penny on Old Kings Road at 3 p.m., where he has a line of customers already waiting for him.
Green, a carpenter by trade, started his barbecue adventures 10 years ago. He bought a smoker from Smokin’ Jim Guines and set up shop in Bunnell, in the Harris Grocery parking lot, until he noticed that the first and second weeks of the month were good and the third and fourth was not. So, he decided to take his melt-in-your-mouth barbecue on the road around town.
Now known as Rumar’s Ribs, his barbecue is smoked with oak, mixed with charcoal, and sometimes pecan or anything citrus if he can get his hands on it.
But Rumar’s Ribs did not make any stops last Friday. Instead, Green was resting for a trip to the University of Miami — a trip that could change his life.
Some time ago, Green was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a very rare and aggressive form of cancer, in his eye.
“It was the darndest thing,” he said. “I thought something had got in my eye and my body was just protecting it.”
The less-than-dime-sized bump on his eyelid, however, was one that needed surgery. The cancer was removed at the Moffitt Center in Tampa, and Green was in recovery, until two weeks ago, when doctors found micro cells that are positive.
He was told that in two years, the cancer may come back. Since he is battling such a rare form of cancer — only the second case Mayo Clinic has seen — prognoses are extremely cautious. He could be at risk of losing his eye.
His next stop is the University of Miami, the leading center in the state on this particular diagnosis, Green was told, having seen a total of 10 cases.
Green remains optimistic, posting daily scriptures and praises on his Facebook. He is praying that doctors find a treatment that will allow him to keep his healthy eye and only radiate the eyelid, which is affected with the cancer.
“God willing, I will have the best BBQ this side of Mason Dixie Line ready for you next Friday,” he wrote Friday on his Facebook.
