MESSAGES FROM MARK TO HIS FANS
(Mark posted these messages to fans following his motorcycle accident in March 2003)

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the hundreds of people who have sent messages from all over the world - reading them is making me feel so much better so much faster. I'm mending pretty well. It's stopped hurting when I laugh, although I felt it when I sneezed the other day. It made me realize how much I laugh. Thankfully I've only sneezed once since the accident, so I hope I don't catch a cold. The only damage has been to bones (collarbone, shoulder blade and seven ribs) and to my bike. My right lung got a bit compressed with the impact and the swelling, so I'll be walking a lot to help get it back up to normal. My hands are absolutely fine and I can't wait to play my guitar again. Also, I'd like to thank everyone involved in my medical care - everybody, doctors, nursing and ambulance staff, has been fantastic, and Kitty has been a great nurse, too.

Thanks again, everyone, and lots of love.
Mark (10/04/03)

....update:

........Hullo again and once more, many thanks to the astonishing numbers of you posting messages on the 'get well' page. It is special to me. It must be making a difference when I read them, because Mary, my physiotherapist, is really happy with the progress. I can laugh and sneeze, no problem. I'm enjoying the physiotherapy once a week (as much as you can enjoy it with nine broken bones!) and learning something each time. I've radically cut down on the painkillers by now; I didn't want to get into that one too much. Mary tells me that it was a very good thing that I was physically fit at the time of the accident, so I'm glad the gym training came in useful. I'm only mentioning it in case you're ever in an accident yourself - and I do hope it never happens. Try to stay fit if you can, friends. I think that's partly why I was out of hospital in two days. I'm well away on the electric and playing same as ever but it feels right to wait a day or two before stretching the right arm over an acoustic. Or a motorcycle.

Lots of love xxM (12/05/03)

.....last update:

Hullo again, all.

There hasn't been a lot to report. Physio is slow but improving now the bone doc says its OK to push it harder. I'm doing two lots of physio a week plus exercises at home. Also, I'm getting back on the fitness regime I was on before the accident, which is two or three workouts a week. I can't do a lot of the stuff I used to yet, but I'll get there. It's all very educational.

It was great to catch up with Richard Bennett in London recently and we went out and had a bite together. I'm doing a little bit of work on the Emmy record with Guy just now, and last week I managed to get some bottleneck guitar on one of the tunes, which I don't get to do much these days. The guitar was an old black Danelectro DC, which was given to me by Mike Henderson - just the thing for steel.

The school holidays are coming and I'm looking forward to plenty of family time. I'm ready to start a new record now but I'll wait and hopefully get going around November or December, when the new studio should be ready.

Thank you again to each and every one of you for the messages - it does
my heart good to get them.

xxM (30/06/03)