The Undeserved Miracle

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Contents

Dedication....................................................................viiForeword......................................................................ixIntroduction..................................................................xiThe City......................................................................1My Family.....................................................................5The Accident..................................................................23Traffic Pileup Carol Doiron: "Oh, God, preserve his life".....................33Aftermath of the Accident.....................................................37The Moment of Truth for My Family.............................................43Panic.........................................................................45Time Line of My Serious Condition.............................................51The Hospital Death Watch......................................................59Thank You, Mom and Dad........................................................61Miracles Never Cease..........................................................63Unhealed Wounds...............................................................71How Could I Ever Get Better...................................................75The Beginning of My Spiritual Change..........................................79Conclusion....................................................................87Acknowledgments...............................................................89Endnotes......................................................................91Sources.......................................................................93

Chapter One

In the year 2000 the U.S. Census Bureau reported that Waterbury, Connecticut, with an estimated population of 107,902, was the fifth largest city in Connecticut. The city received its official name on May 15, 1686, when the settlement was admitted as the twenty-eighth town in the Colony of Connecticut. The name Waterbury was chosen because of all the streams flowing into the Naugatuck River. The town proper is 28.6 square miles. With an elevation of 325 feet above sea level, Waterbury is also known as a hilly city. It is located thirty-three miles southwest of Hartford.

Waterbury was once known as Brass City. Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, it had large industrial interests and was the leading center in the United States for the manufacture of brassware (including castings and finishings). Another famous Waterbury product of the mid-nineteenth century was Robert H. Ingersoll's one dollar pocket watch. He sold five million watches. After this, the clock industry became as important as Waterbury's famed brass industry. Evidence of these two important industries can still be seen in Waterbury, as numerous clock towers and old brass factories have become landmarks of the city. Its historical sceneries blend in with the beauty of the Brass Mall and other modern structures.

Inhabitants of smaller neighboring towns—Wolcott, Prospect, Watertown, Naugatuck, Plymouth, Cheshire, and Middlebury—can be entertained at Waterbury's beautiful and spacious Brass Mall, located right off Interstate 84 and Connecticut Route 8. Along with the mall there are many historic sites such as Union Station Clocktower (1909), Waterbury Clock Company (1857), the Apothecary Building (1893), Carrie Welton Fountain (1888), and the Soldiers' Monument (1884). Another historic site is the Hotel Elton (1905), the balcony of which is the site of a speech delivered by President John F. Kennedy.

Many famous people have resided in Waterbury. Among them were Erick Poundstone, Strong Man champion; Roger Connor, Hall of Fame baseball player; Dr. Robert Gallo, a U.S. biomedical researcher for the AIDS virus; Fay Vincent, the eighth commissioner of Major League Baseball from September 13, 1989, to September 7, 1992, and Joan Joyce, one of the greatest women athletes of all time who made a name as an all-American softball player but also excelled in basketball, bowling, and golf. She struck out baseball legends Ted Williams and Hank Aaron with her 110plus mph pitches in exhibition games. John Sirica, Watergate judge and Time magazine's Man of the Year in 1973, was born and raised in Waterbury.

There isn't a country, state, or city without its share of crime, and Waterbury is no different. Its crime rate exceeds the national average. It is a fact that environment plays a major part in the mental development of a child and the mortality of its citizens. Although no adult can blame anyone for his or her behavior, it is quite evident that children develop overtime into good or bad citizens as the result of their environment. However, there are many successful and productive people in Waterbury. The ratio of people not participating in crime is greater than the ratio of people who are. Although crime is high in Waterbury, it is still a great city in which to live.

Chapter Two

Thursday, October 7, 1982, began like any other fall day in Waterbury—except in the Marques household. It was the day I was born to Antonio Marques Sr. and Joanne P. Marques at St. Mary's Hospital. My father was from Portugal and my mother was from the United States. My father worked in construction, and my mother worked at Southbury Training School on the second shift. My only sibling, Melissa, was two years old, the prettiest little thing any eyes have seen. Like all parents, my mother and father dreamed that their little boy would carry on the family name and succeed in life. Prior to my birth, my mother stayed home with my sister, but had to return to work about four months after I was born. For the first four or five years, my sister and I were close. It was so special to me to have her around. But when I turned four or five, I started playing by myself a lot until Luis came into my life.

My mother and father were raised Catholic, but my father was raised strict, Old School Catholic. While growing up in Portugal, he and the neighborhood boys would walk for miles to church and visit the site of Our Lady of Fatima. He loved going to church. My father wasn't abusive, but when we got out of line, he would use his right hand to bring us back in line. I feared misbehaving because I didn't want him to "get" me. Although Melissa and I did not fear our father, we had a great deal of respect for him. Mother didn't like for Melissa and me to get spanked, so many times she didn't tell my father what we had done. Those secrets my mother kept from him regarding my bad behavior led to later problems.

My parents made us do all the things that Catholics are supposed to do. We went to church every Sunday until I finished catechism. I loved catechism because young people taught it and they could care less whether we learned anything. I played volleyball and fooled around a lot. Needless to say, I didn't learn much of anything from going to catechism. It didn't put the fear of God in my life. The most I can say is that I believed there was a God and He was watching over us. My whole family believed and we all prayed, but not together. I prayed every night before I went to bed, "Our Father," and "Hail Mary" prayers. I prayed if I got in trouble or if I wanted something. I prayed for God to watch over my family, especially my mother because of her drug problems. Beyond that, I couldn't care less about religion and...