Mark Flynn- Road to Recovery

In response to the overwhelming outpouring of concern and requests to support Mark Flynn, we have established this page as a resource to help Mark during this difficult time. On January 3rd, Mark sustained a spinal cord injury while skiing with his son in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Mark suffered a severed spinal cord (T7), fractured spine, fractured ribs, and a punctured lung. That evening, he learned that he would be a paraplegic. Mark has since been transferred to an in-patient rehabilitation unit, where he will remain for at least the next month, focusing on learning how to perform activities of daily living, transfers, and how to adjust to his new life, in a wheelchair.  At this time, he will be out of work and does not have a secondary source of income to cover living expenses. In addition, the expense to renovate and make wheelchair accessible modifications to his home is proving to be costly, and he will need additional medical equipment that the insurance will not cover.  He will also need to find accessible transportation in the future.

For those of you who know Mark professionally, you know he has dedicated his life to helping others live more fulfilling lives, reducing the risk of child abuse and domestic violence, and assisting individuals, couples and families overcome emotional and behavioral problems. He is well respected in the therapy community.

But, if you know Mark outside of work, you know he is an astounding father to his son, Jackson, and has never let the 2200 miles separating them get in the way of spending as much time as possible with him. Mark frequently flies to Utah to take Jackson to climb mountains, explore canyons, but nothing compared to their love for snow skiing.  He is a devoted boyfriend and partner to Deana for over 10 years, extending his love and generosity to Deana's children, Robbie and Brenna, as if they were his own.  

Mark loves his work, but loves to live life to the fullest.  If Mark isn’t at the office, he is hiking, kayaking, boating, wakeboarding, scuba diving, going to the beach, playing tennis, running, or snow skiing.  If he isn’t participating in a sport, you can bet he is there watching the sport live, weather it be the FSU Seminoles, the Jacksonville Jaguars, or even watching his favorite drivers in the NASCAR cup series down at Daytona Speedway (or any nearby track).

Mark is such an amazing and loyal friend to all of us who are lucky to be in his life. He is the first to extend invitations to go on the boat, go on a hike, meet at the beach, or even just to meet up for dinner. He is always there when his friends need him, so this is our opportunity to be there for him.

Any and all donations are greatly appreciated and will be used towards Mark’s immediate needs, primarily making necessary modifications to his home to make it wheelchair accessible, and purchasing necessary medical equipment that is not covered by his medical insurance.