Many people have saved my life in every way possible
I was looking through this and was thinking "what's the nicest someone's ever done for me", and I couldn't think of anything. Oh sure there's the tiny things that make life good like the wife giving me a hug when I'm stressed etc, but nothing really worthwhile writing here.

But then I thought, "Mark, you COCK!" there are lots of people who have done the nicest thing for me...

saving my life.

You see, back in 1995, aged just 14, I had a massive brain haemorrhage. Completely out the blue. I was just sat in my room on a blazing hot summers day playing on my MegaCD (as you do) then suddenly I went blind, couldn't walk properly, dizzy and incredible pains in my head. I tried to get downstairs but fell down and lost consiousness. All in all it took about 5 minutes to go from completely normal, everyday stuff, to dying on my kitchen floor.

But I'm still here. I'm married, have travelled around the World, I own my own home and, apart from a massive scar on my head and a stutter, you wouldn't think there was anything wrong. The only way this could happen was several people doing the nicest thing anyone can do, and although you think "that's just their job" - they made more difference to my life than anyone could ever hope to do.

My Dad - who found me unconsious on the floor, choking on my own vomit, who put me in the recovery position and phoned for a doctor

The Doctor - who came out quickly and raced me over to the local Emergency hospital

The A&E staff - who fought for several hours to get me to regain consiousness

The Ambulance staff - who raced hell for leather up the M42 to Coventry Walsgrave Hospital, relaying my condition to the hospital staff.

The surgeons, anaethetists, nurses etc - who fought for 13 hours to stabalise me, get my head cut open and stopped the bleeding that was flooding my brain

The Intensive Care Nurses - who looked after mum and dad while I was lying in a coma, and helped them when I came round, despite being given a less than 30% chance of doing so.

The ward nurses - who looked after me and were patient with me when I was consious again but couldn't talk, see or form sentences correctly

The Physiotherapists - who tried to get me to sit up, stand up and eventually walk again - and wouldn't let me give up despite the pain it was putting me in.

The Occupational therapists - who got me doing basic tasks to regain my independance and lead a "normal" life

All the people whos donated blood I used - I must have used gallons of it

My friends - who came to visit me in hosipital and despite having no hair and being unable to talk to them, made me laugh and smile again

My sister - who drove miles to be by my bedside

The Speech therapists - who gave me the gift of communication back, allowing me to talk and be understood again

The hospital porters - who talked to me and put me at ease, even when I was going for a horrible treatment

The Asian lady - who always waved and smiled at me, despite her husband being in terrible pain across the ward with a massive head injury

The hospital library staff - who saved me some comedy audio tapes to cheer me up

The Hospital Vicar - who came and sat with me and didn't need to say a word to make me calm

The X-Ray and CT Scan people, and the members of the public who donated money so the hospital could have a CT scanner.

The Work Experience Girl - Who held my hand when I was crying and claustrophobic in the MRI tunnel

My school - who despite not having any disabled students usually, went out of their way to welcome me back

The school bullies - who stopped being nasty to me and started to be nice to me, even trying to be my friend (must have been the scars!)

The Sun Newspaper - who allowed me to write a column for their stroke awareness week

The Salters Nuffield Biology Unit - who chose me to be a case study in their A-Level text book

You guys - who make me laugh even when I am at my lowest

My parents - who never left my side and gave me the strength to fight on

My wife - who despite my problems and short comings, loves me completely.

There's probably thousands more who I haven't thanked but you are all in my heart.

Cheers.

edit: I'm overwhelmed and humbled by all your lovely comments - thank you all so much :o)
( h3donist tryin' to play me out as if my name is Sega.., Sat 4 Oct 2008, 16:13, 13 replies)

*snivels*
*clicks*
(Juan Quar is clinging to her front teeth on, Sat 4 Oct 2008, 16:17, closed)

that's great to hear
Someone I know died of a brain haemorrhage, so it's nice to hear that you made such a great recovery.
(europe-who, Sat 4 Oct 2008, 16:56, closed)

:D

( Matazone has new icons, but is keeping this one, Sat 4 Oct 2008, 18:56, closed)

this is wonderful
many of us have really stand-alone acts of kindness happen to us in our lives, but it's those little things that people do for us every day, those little things we take for granted, those are what make life worth living.
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sat 4 Oct 2008, 19:41, closed)

Hedonist
May I print this out and hang it up in the recovery room at work? No patients will see it, just us.
Please gaz me with your thoughts-"no, don't" is an ok answer.
Dub
(TDub Nunc id vides, nunc ne vides on, Sat 4 Oct 2008, 19:48, closed)

This is lovely...
but how could you not think of it straight away!? lol :)
(bacontrout got ska, Sun 5 Oct 2008, 1:26, closed)

It must be the whisky.
**Chokes back snivels**
**Clicks**
(porkylips looks better as the sun goes down., Sun 5 Oct 2008, 3:23, closed)

Certain to be Best Of, if not top
Very click, sounds absolutely horrible.
(MJPerry was crude but clickable at, Sun 5 Oct 2008, 3:52, closed)

Blocked nose or dry eyes?
Take B3ta!

*sniffs*
*wipes eyes*
*clicks*
( The Light in Chains don't touch the Pope's boner, Mon 6 Oct 2008, 7:22, closed)

oh for fucks sake
im crying again, damn you all to hell.

click
(Halfy By light alone, Mon 6 Oct 2008, 12:01, closed)

that
made me do a little cry.

as so very many of these tales have done.
(The Empress it seems you CAN polish a turd!, Mon 6 Oct 2008, 14:01, closed)

*clicks*
Fantastic post.
( Piper Alpha is being a grumpy northerm bastard on:, Tue 7 Oct 2008, 14:11, closed)

This week
There are a lot of stories that almost made me cry. With yours I had to stop and do something else before I started doing it in the office.

That was beautiful. Good luck with everything.
(Aberracion Life's getting very complicated, but a lot of fun., Wed 8 Oct 2008, 14:09, closed)