Mark Adams:  

Life 2003 was a turning point in my life. I was riding my XR650R near Palm Springs when I nearly hit a car at a blind intersection traveling at 70 MPH. I don't remember crashing, but from reading the CHP report, I flew about 70 feet. I do remember that I blacked-out and had a near death experience. I woke up lying on the ground and I was bewildered as to where I was and what happened, at the same time I had a tremendous amount of pain. I had never felt that much pain in my life! I was lying on the ground face down in the dirt and realized that I was wearing my dirt bike riding clothes. Then it came to me I was riding my bike and I must have crashed...I staggered to my feet saw my wrecked bike, looked around and saw no one. I stumbled to the other side of the dirt road and sat down with my back to the berm. I was still in immense pain trying to piece it all together. At about this time my friend rode up and shortly thereafter the Paramedics, CHP and Ambulance arrived. I was examined and they decided to transport me to the hospital within 5 minutes. They placed me on a backboard and then gurney and away we went. I was taken to Desert Regional Trauma Center. I had gone through multiple surgeries. I had ruptured my spleen and was bleeding to death internally. They removed my spleen, stopped my bleeding and gave me 4 blood transfusions. Two days later, I was back in the OR for surgery to my broken back. I had fractured my Thoracic vertebras T7-T9. They bolted my spine back together again. Luckily, the fractured bone did not severe the spinal cord! They placed me in a medically induced coma and gave me the "Morphine Drip." I was in a drug induced nightmare full of hallucinations. I woke-up 3 weeks later on the same-day they were getting ready to give me a tracheotomy. Luckily, I was able to breathe on my own again. I was on Life Support that whole time. Then they took me back to the OR to operate on my shattered left arm. My radius had to b...Expand for more