Mark's Brain Recovery

This is typed by Brianna, Mark's girlfriend. We know how much Mark is loved and are hopeful for his full recovery. He is the strongest guy we know. Photos will not be posted due to the gruesome nature of the accident out of respect for his family.

Mark and our friend Max were involved in a serious motorcycle (pit bike) accident on Saturday night and collided head-on. They ran into each other in the dark with no helmets on and both were unconscious upon impact. It was a freak accident. Luckily, the fire department showed up quickly, and both boys were transported to the ER in about 30 minutes.

Max is stable and in recovery. The right side of his face was shattered, along with his left knee. He has undergone reconstructive surgery on his face and knee and is doing well. He is currently being woken from his sedation.

Mark suffered a traumatic brain injury and is in a self-induced coma. The ER performed a craniotomy to save his life, meaning they removed a section of his skull to allow the brain to swell. He is on life support and stable, and the nurses are taking great care of him. We will continue to monitor him closely to ensure none of his vitals go out of limits. Almost all of Mark's facial bones are fractured, and he will eventually need to undergo facial reconstructive surgery. Additionally, the doctors wanted to put in a trach, but decided to hold off because his most recent CT scan showed that he might have a tear in his trachea. They hope to resolve this sometime this week.

On Oct. 16th Mark's pupils were not responsive, but today (Oct. 17th) they are! They are dilating a small amount when exposed to light. He has reflexes. Some of his vitals change slightly when we say certain things to him or touch him.

Mark is currently stable, and we hope the brain swelling will decrease over the upcoming days, weeks, and months. I will continue to provide updates.

We are very optimistic that our Mark will be just fine with time. We don't know what the future holds and will take it one day at a time.

Funds will be used for extensive medical bills, Mark's personal bills, and recovery expenses to come, such as physical therapy.

Please continue to keep both Mark & Max in your prayers. Any and all support is greatly appreciated.

Thank you.