Mark Terrian hasn’t given up his fight against cancer, but he’s realistic about the future and knows he wants to spend as much time as possible with the family he loves.

“I just want to be with them,” said the 53-year-old Oxford resident.

His family includes his wife of 30 years, Teresa, and their  three children – Carson, a junior at Oxford High School; Dylan, a 2016 OHS graduate; and Baillie, a 2012 OHS graduate.

To help the Terrian family better enjoy today and make memories for tomorrow, a fund-raiser called “Party for a Purpose” will be held at Legacy 925 in Oxford Township on New Year’s Eve. All proceeds will benefit the Terrians.

The event will include live music and a DJ, a spacious dance floor, a VIP buffet, a champagne toast at midnight, 17 giant television screens on which to watch the ball drop in New York City’s Times Square, silent auction packages, various types of bowling, laser tag, go-karts, darts and pool.

Kids will be given their own New Year’s Eve Party at the Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park. It will include a DJ, party favors and a sparkling juice toast.

Doors open at 6 p.m. and the party will run until 1:30 a.m. For more information, call (248) 328-4944. Reserve tickets online.

“I’m definitely planning on being there,” said Terrian. But that could change depending on how he’s feeling that day, he said.

Terrian has been fighting for his life since August 2015 when he was diagnosed with stage four rectal cancer that had spread to his liver.

He has undergone many rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. In 2017, Terrian had surgery to remove the cancer from his rectal area and give him a permanent colostomy.

Unfortunately, the cancer has “compromised” his liver, giving his skin what he described as a “little yellow tint.”

“The last CT scan showed that there was considerable growth,” Terrian said.

Right now, treatment options are limited in terms of what will actually be effective and what Terrian’s weakened body can endure.

“There’s only so much they can throw at you,” he said. “This last (treatment) really kicked my butt a lot. I’ve lost like 25 pounds. If we tried anything harder, it would probably kill me faster because it does take such a toll on your body. I’m not strong enough anymore to try a higher dose of stuff.”

“I’m already having a hard time eating, Terrian added. “That’s part of the liver being so compromised. Everything tastes like crap and you’re kind of nauseous all the time. I’m kind of living on painkillers.”

Terrian’s going to start another pill form of chemotherapy, but he’s not too optimistic.

“There’s only like a 10 to 15 percent chance that’s going to do anything,” he said.

Despite his condition, Terrian, who served in the Michigan Air National Guard for 22 years, continues to work at Barron Industries in Oxford Township for two reasons.

One, he needs the money and health insurance. “I can’t survive on disability,” Terrian said.

Secondly, his job keeps him from just “laying in bed all day, watching TV.”

“I just can’t do that. I can’t give up like that,” Terrian said.

Terrian is working on filling his bucket list by doing things like going to a Red Wings game and attending a Trans-Siberian Orchestra performance.

In January, he and his family are heading to Orlando, Florida to enjoy all the fun and entertainment that Disney World and Universal Studios have to offer.

Terrian’s advice to others is to “get checked” for colorectal cancer.

“It’s a simple thing,” he said.

There’s “a little bit of embarrassment” involved in the examination, but Terrian said getting a clean bill of health or catching something early is “definitely well worth” not having to deal with the “terrible thing” he’s faced for more than three years.

It’s especially important to get checked if there’s a family history of colorectal cancer.

“My uncle had it and I really didn’t put two and two together,” he said.

The only reason doctors found Terrian’s cancer is because he noticed some blood in his stool, then went for a checkup. Other than spotting the blood, he had no symptoms.

“You don’t feel it,” Terrian said.