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Things just haven’t been the same at the South Philly Review these last several months. I always look forward to those walks downstairs to strike up conversations with my colleagues in the advertising department.
Mark Romano’s desk is the one that faces the door, and he was typically the first one to greet me. Some days we would discuss the struggles of our professional sports team (in our 16 plus years of working together there has been only one championship team to talk about) while other times Mark would fire off one of his out-of-left-field wisecracks that sent me out of the room in hysterical laughter.
For the last several months, silence has settled over Mark’s corner. It’s not by choice. Instead of spending his days at this place he called home for nearly three decades of his life, he has been in and out of the hospital as a result of liver failure. He is in dire need of a transplant. In these tough, life-altering times, my friend, you can’t give up the fight.
It wasn’t all that long ago where my daily routine included making two trips a day to the Cooper University Hospital trauma intensive care unit to visit my wife who spent eight-plus weeks in the hospital recovering from a lacerated liver. There were many scary moments along the way, including her being hooked up to a ventilator, but she won the battle.
Now, Mark’s friends and family members are rallying together for a similar live-saving effort. A fundraiser is taking place 7 to 11 p.m. April 4 at Galdo’s Catering and Entertainment, 1933 W. Moyamensing Ave. Tickets are $40 per person and include a buffet, cash bar and live entertainment. There also will be a raffle and 50/50.
John Gallo, Review Publishing COO, is looking forward to a night dedicated to his good friend. They started working together in 1985, which marked the beginning of Mark’s second stint at the Review.
“He immediately took me under his wing, really taught me the business and made me feel at ease with his good nature, patient and always friendly personality,” John said. “What started out as a coworker/mentor [relationship] soon became a beautiful friendship and eventually a bond of brotherhood that has lasted over 28 years and one that I cherish everyday. Mark is a friend to everyone he meets; he never has a bad thing to say about anyone.
“I’ve been humbled by the outpouring of love and concern that has been shown to him from the people of South Philly.”
Those messages have come in the form of phone calls, e-mails and letters, but John said he has been most impressed by the ones he has personally been getting from clients, ex-coworkers and mutual friends just asking, “How is Mark doing?”
Many of them continue … “He is a great guy, one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, please say hello and tell him he’s in my prayers.”
“In the case of my dear friend Mark Romano, it happens to be the absolute truth,” John said. “Get well, my friend. You can do it. Everyone is pulling and praying for you.” ■
Contact Editor Bill Gelman at bgelman@southphillyreview.com or ext. 121. Comment at southphillyreview.com/news/features.
Tickets can be purchased in advance by e-mailing markromanobenefit@gmail.com or at the door at the night of the event.
Donations can be made at Valley Green Bank, Broad and Tasker streets, c/o Mark Romano Benefit Fund.
