From Mark ----

This is from Mark to let you know I am breathing and surviving with some help…

I don't know where to start. The family, friends and others support
has been fantastic. I have been trying to read my BLOG for several
days now I am finished with it. The love and support it shows it
fantastic, but the main concern from everyone seems to be about our
BIG ONE, God. He has made all of this possible.
You really know the love and support you get from family and mine is
coming from both sides. It is the friends that seem to affect me the
most. I knew how my family felt about me and it means so much to read
it, but to hear things like this from friends means so much too!

All of this started on July 7, 2007. I was helping a great friend move
some tree limbs across a roof when I found a crack in the roof and
fell through. I don't remember being there at all, but he tries to
fill in some details from time to time. To read in this BLOG what my
family and friends went through is really heart breaking. To see how
bad I was just baffles me. When the doctors cut back on my medication,
it helped me a lot. Some where near the end of August, they tried to
explain who I was and why I was there. I had one doctor come in and
ask me what I could remember about the past. I told him I went out
of town during spring break and he said that was April. What about May
and June? He did not understand I did not know that there was a May or
June this year. Next he wanted to know about the accident. What about
July and August? He did not understand that I only found out who I was
a few days before.
To read my sign in log at the hospital meant a lot to know that there
were that many people who cared and that many more who caught up on my
BLOG. My family did so much keeping it current every though it was not
an easy task to do. Doctors make decisions and change them pretty
often because of this or that, but it all seemed to work out.
On Friday, September 14, they let me out of TIRR to go home. Betty had
so many people over that night to welcome me home, it was great. That
night, one on my machine messed up about 3AM and I pushed the buttons
on it to it stopped. Well, as stupid as I was, I turned it off on
accident. We are trying to get it running again in the driveway on
Saturday morning. Donna, our nurse next door was helping too, when I
started getting over heated. Betty turned on the AC in the car while
they messed with this machine. While they were working on it, I lost
all control of my left side of my body. The ambulance was called and
they took me back to the hospital. I think they ran every test they
could come up with and then on Tuesday night, they shipped me to the
main hospital in Houston for a few more days. All day Wednesday and half of
Thursday, I went through another round of tests. They finally realized
with some different medicines and some small actuization of what
happened, but the tests could not confirm anything for sure. It was
either a small stroke, a small heart attack or some nerve damaged.
These were all too small to pick up on any of there machines, but I
got released to spend time at home with my own personal nurse (my
wonderful wife, Betty), plus my parents are here to help, too. I know
this ordeal was sure a problem to my immediate family, but there
courage was outstanding! This situation really shows you who really
cares. Some of these people I thought were good friends, but have
become part of me "extended family" now.
When I came home, I noticed so many things that were taken care of.
My yard was mowed. I have not run a mower since early July I guess.
Four friends from work made a trip to San Marcos to work on some stuff
on Tiff and Brea's trailer that I had not finished. There were things
done here, too. It really amazes me to know I have family and friends
that will do these for others like this. Betty spent so much time at
the hospital, so many people took care of Matt for her. He would start
here for a few days and there for a few more. I can not say enough
about all the little things that were done for us. Help came from so
many different people that it amazed me. I even had people that took
my "get well" wish with them to their churches for group support.
There is no way I can thank this group for helping save my life. The
nurses at the hospital would look at my chart and wonder how I
survived and I told them I was my friends and family that let God be
my savior. I feel he is the reason at am still here.
I have family from all over the country praying and pulling for me
plus some from others countries doing so too.
If there was anything I could do more than the biggest "THANK YOU"
allowed, I would owe each and everyone of something great like this.
This needs to go to family, friends, people from work (friends, too)
and even to the people who don't even know me personally that go on
board this trip to help me and my family out. My life and that of my
family would not be were it is today with out each and every one of
you!

Just a note to keep everyone one board: Of all my Bradley's cousins,
all of my first cousin's are older that me. It is hard being the
youngest one of the group, but some one had to be it. I think most of
them don't mention it, but, it's true. Now, on the Gray side (Mom's
family side), I am more in the middle and Betty's side, I am just a
brother-in-law or an uncle, (favorite I like to think), but they are
my family, too.
In my thoughts, my conclusion to all that has happened is how
important life is to me, my wife and kids, my family (inside and
outside), my friends and neighbors and anybody else who knows my name
by now. You mean the world to me and I would not be here with out your
help. Just remember, my love for each of you is so great that I can
not express it in words. Thanks for all the effort put together to
save my life!