Mark Speckhart Short Hills resident creates aspotfor spontaneous self-expression WRITTEN BY JO VARNISH
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Mark Speckhart Short Hills resident creates aspotfor spontaneous self-expression WRITTEN BY JO VARNISH
THE HISTORY OF THE SPECKHART FAMILY IN SHORT HILLS SPANS NEARLY 70 YEARS. Mark Speckhart’ s parents movedtoShortHills in the early 1950s.“ I’ m one of seven kids, and I have 33 first cousins who grew up here,” he says.“ My uncle built the houses around Deerfield School. When I was a kid, we had a hockey pond and a massivetoboggan run by the school.” Speckhart met his wife, Danielle, at age 16, and they married 12 years later. Now, their three children attend the town’ s schools and Speckhart and Danielle’ s parents remain in town, along with Speckhart’ s brother and sister.
While recovering from illness, entrepreneur and Short Hills resident Mark Speckhart created aspace in the woods behind his home where he could meditate in peace, complete with seating and birdhouses.
After encountering agroup of cyclists there and wondering how many others visited the spot, he made awooden mailbox and placed anotebook and pens in it. Curious passersby opened the mailbox and began writing inthe notebook. Some contributors drew pictures, some opened up about difficulties they faced, others offered words of inspiration and some replied to previous writers. When one book was filled, Speckhart added asecond. Almost all expressed sincere gratitude for having such abeautiful place to come to, and abook in which toexpress themselves.
SPECKHART IS A CANCER SURVIVOR. In July 2011, Speckhart felt unwell while in Vietnam for business.“ I thought I had food poisoning,” he says. Back at home, tests revealed stage three esophageal cancer. Speckhart undertook a rigorous schedule of radiation and chemotherapy, followed by surgery. Seeking a holistic approach to his treatment, he incorporated into his regime dietary changes, breathing exercises, homeopathy, sauna treatments and holy water that his mother brought him from Lourdes.“ Three months after surgery, I had a scan and it was clear, as have been all my subsequent scans,” hesays.
HE GIVES BACK AS APATIENT ADVOCATE FOR OTHERS FACING THE SAME BATTLE. Speckhart is now part of the Esophageal Cancer Advocacy Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering. Since late 2014, he has helped more than 25 patients and their families going through treatment.“ I always start off by saying,‘ You ask the questions, and I will answer them,’” he says. Speckhart has forged deep and lasting friendships with those he has helped though his advocacy work.
HIS LOVE OF NATURE LED HIM TO CREATE“ MABEL’ S BLUFF.” A talented woodworker, Speckhart designed and built a bench during his recovery, but he had no idea where to put it.“ One day Iwas in the woods behind my house with my dogs, Pearl and Mabel,” he recalls.“ Pearl found a path, which we called Pearlie’ s Path, and it led to a bluff, which we named Mabel’ s Bluff.” Speckhart took the bench to the bluff and added wind chimes, aswell as Viking chairs and birdhouses that he made.“ It was aplace for me to go and meditate and think,” he says. What Speckhart hadn’ t realized was how many other people would do the same.
MABEL’ S BLUFF HAS BECOME AN OASIS OF COMFORT FOR PEOPLE HE HAS NEVER MET.“ Advocacy hasgiven meaning to mylife,” Speckhart says,“ and knowing that people can sit at Mabel’ s Bluff and write about something they are going through, release it, and walk away feeling better is incredible.” As one writer noted in the first book,“ I’ m grateful for this spot, this journal, these treesand all of the love in my life.” ■
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COURTESY OF ANNA SPECKHART
18 BACK TOSCHOOL 2018 MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE