Mold-Help.org - The world's largest TOXIC MOLD website
  • Mold Basics
    • Mold Overview
    • Mold Symptoms
    • Mold Types & Images
    • Fungal Infections
  • Resources and Tools
    • Home Care
    • Health & Diet
    • Tips for Parents
    • Coping with Loss
    • Private Research
    • Legal Suggestions
    • Mold in the Bible
  • Mold News
    • Current Headlines
    • “Sick Buildings”
    • The Environment
    • Construction Industry
    • Govt. & Politics
    • The Workplace
    • Landlords & Tenants
    • Insurance Companies
    • Schools & Institutions
    • Strange Fungal Tales
    • Personal Mold Stories
    • Additional Articles
  • Agencies & Experts
  • About Mold-Help
    • Mold-Help News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
  • Twitter
  • Facebook

News Update! Mark Tatum; the Man Without a Face

March 1, 2005/in Personal Mold Stories /by Carolyn Willbanks

In Memory of Mark Tatum – 1956-2005

Mr. Mark Tatum, also known by many as the man without a face, passed 4:00 CST Saturday, February 26, 2005 at the Medco Center of Franklin, Kentucky.  Tatum lost his eyes, upper jaw, and nose to a fungal infection in 2000.  This type of infection is not that unusual, but the extent of the damage that it did to Tatum was very rare.

Tatum was a medical phenomena due to the fact that he survived the infection.  Due to his extreme experience, Tatum was highly profiled in the media by many people including Larry King, Maury Povich, and Ripley’s Believe it or Not.  He was a courageous individual who served as a symbol of strength for the thousands of people who have lost their health, homes, and livliehood from fungal exposure.

According to a friend who spoke to him that day, Mr. Tatum was in good spirits and feeling very positive towards his future. He had just been fitted with a new prosthetic face.  He was extremely excited about helping victims of toxagenic mold exposure so he could uncover the real truth about fungus as a synonymous predator to the virus and bacteria.

At  this point, the cause of his death is still unknown.  An autopsy has been requested by his family. More information will be posted when we obtain the results.

Funeral services were held March 2, 2005 at Crafton Funeral Home. The Rev. Winston Roberts officiated with burial at Hillsdale Cemetery.  Tatum was a native of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and worked as a security guard until his fungal infection in 2000. He was the son of the late Franklin Eugene Tatum and Emma Thomas Tatum.

Original Story from 2002

A mutual friend contacted me recently and asked me if I would be interested in helping Mark Tatum. She said that Mark and his wife, Nancy had recently suffered some rather severe financial hardships due to Mark’s medical expenses.

I was wondering if I could try and solve the mystery of the Mark’s condition for once and all. Perhaps I was being idealistic, but this resourceful man could make any heart break.

When the infection began in his sinuses, it didn’t take long to ravage his eyes, nose, and part of his mouth, along with much of the surrounding tissue.  The doctors told him they didn’t think he would survive. He said that he began thinking about his granddaughter and how much he loved her. Mark had three near death experiences that night and he realized that God had spared him for a reason, perhaps to help people realize how serious we should take these horrendous fungal infections, and what an impact they have on human life and his health is still very poor as he suffers from chronic pain, as well as a wide array. of other associated illness. My thoughts raced back to present actuality. I began to wonder if their home had toxic mold. Could this have been a contributing factor?

Tests conducted (courtesy of EM Labs) in 2002 confirmed high levels of cladosporium, penicillium, and aspergillus in his home.  It is impossible to determine conclusively that high levels of indoor mold caused his illness, but it is highly probable to have been a contributing factor.

The Tatum’s “dream” home was purchased in 1997. Mark told me about the day they bought the house with the 1920’s authentic caboose bedroom. He couldn’t believe that the seller had accepted his meager offer. Mark had to re-do some wiring, plumbing, etc., but it made no difference to him, it was the home of their dreams; on two acres sitting affront a lake.

Mark had to take up to 15 medications a day to protect his face and paralyzed portions of the right side of his body. The medications and additional cleaning supplies needed for protecting Marks’ exposed face were costing over $300 dollars a day.

Mark, who before the trauma, was working four jobs to support his wife and children, was no longer able to work due to the blindness and paralysis. He was receiving Social Security Disability and Medicaid assistance, but his health care costs were exorbitant.

We assisted in raising money to help pay for the medical bills that Mark and his family have been left with and to help discover the causes of his horrific experience. As a community, let us help make this something that doesn’t debilitate Mark and his family any further. Mark and his family have lived through a horror that too many of us is unimaginable. It is so unfortunate that his life ended so unrepentantly. May he serve as a role model for us all in a shallow world where people are judged by face value alone.

In August of 2004, David Trainer assisted Mark Tatum.  These are the results from that visit, hosted by Barbara Lewis-It’s hard to imagine the trauma that would be caused by losing a part of one?s face, or the relief at getting at least part of it back. Here’s the story of a man named Mark Tatum who has felt both those emotions. He had no eyes and no nose, the result of a disfiguring but life-saving surgery after he inhaled a toxic mold.

Mark traveled to Show Low, Arizona, a small town that has become a center for the manufacture of high-tech, extremely complicated prosthetics designed to rebuild faces.

Our colleague at Arizona Public Radio, Ann Heppermann, introduces us to David Trainer, who is known as one of the leading developers of facial prosthetics. This is how Mark Tatum appeared with his new prosthetic face in 2004. He was delighted with the results.
Symptoms of Fungal Exposure
Associated Illnesses
Medical Papers

Carolyn Willbanks
Author: Carolyn Willbanks

Tags: mucormycosis, Mark Tatum, man without a face, Tatum, Mark Tatum; the man without a face
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
https://www.mold-help.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/moldhelp-654x300.png 0 0 Carolyn Willbanks https://www.mold-help.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/moldhelp-654x300.png Carolyn Willbanks2005-03-01 01:51:432019-03-26 16:53:53News Update! Mark Tatum; the Man Without a Face
You might also like
Photo of a mold infection called Mucormycosis on the face©Healthline.com Mucormycosis
Mold-Help logo Fungus Risk for Tsunami Survivors
Mold-Help logo Solving the Mystery Behind the Man Without a Face. . .

Mold News

  • Current Headlines
  • "Sick Buildings"
  • The Environment
  • Construction Industry
  • Govt. & Politics
  • The Workplace
  • Landlords & Tenants
  • Insurance Companies
  • Schools & Institutions
  • Personal Mold Stories
  • Strange Fungal Tales
  • Additional Articles

Latest Posts

  • Michigan Family Finds Toxic Mold Inside Home
  • California Winter Storms: Water Damage and Mold Exposure Concerns in California
  • Office and Commercial Buildings at Risk for Mold after COVID-19 Closings
  • COVID-19 Symptoms May Include Loss of Taste and Smell
  • New Mold Detox Information on the Horizon
  • COVID-19 Courses of Action
  • Stachybotrys
  • Simple and Easy Ways to Prevent the Coronavirus
  • Your Air Conditioning Unit Helps Eliminate Mold
  • Construction Workers Are Learning to Control Dust and Debris

Search Our Site:

Need Help with Mold?

Are you being affected by mold or other mycotoxins in your environment? Our team and community has over 15 years experience and can provide guidance. You can reach us by submitting your contact or through our Facebook page.

Have a Story to Share?

We're looking for stories and input to expand our database and to add to the personal experiences we've received from the thousands of victims over the last 15. If mold has impacted your life, please take the time to share your story. Your information is confidential and will only be shared with your permission.

Seeking Mold Experts

Are you an expert in the treatment of mold-affected health illnesses, or a provider of services to victims of mycotoxin exposure? Submit your information for listing consideration in our Agencies & Experts resource database.

Additional Resources

  • Contact Us
  • Sitemap
  • Glossary of Terms
  • Survivor Resources
  • General Inquiries
  • Legal Disclaimer

© Copyright - Mold-Help Organization
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Mold Basics
  • Resources and Tools
  • Agencies & Experts
  • Mold News
  • About Mold-Help
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

OKLearn more

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Accept settingsHide notification only