The Undeserved Miracle: As Told to Franklin E. Rutledge

By Antonio Marques Jr.

This book tells the true story about a young man that decided he was going to beat the moral system of Law. This system included parents, schools, civil authority and religion. Since he was a child, he wanted to do it his way. Feeling rejected because of his low self esteem, his mothers drug problem and the lack of attention he received from his father, he started using drugs and drinking at a very early age.

He cared nothing for religion and pushed God aside, yet he would pray to God to ask help for his mother. This book tells of how Gods love and mercy refused to be weaker than Tonys attempt to cast Him away. Tony learned how to hide his internal problems by amusing his friend with outward toughness. He made people laugh to keep from crying. He beat people up to hide his weakness, and he sold drugs to prove he could be somebody.

He would have ended up like most people who participate in this life style; dead or in prison. Although not his fault, he was in a serious car accident that changed the direction of his life forever. Without any will of his own to live or die, a God fearing praying woman was divinely sent to the same area where he lay in critical condition, even though the area was not anywhere near her usual route toward home. According to medical examinations/records, pinpointed operational procedures, negative medical prognosis, and eye witness accounts, Tony should be dead. No human ability or intelligence could have kept him alive.

After reading this book, you will discover that you might have received an undeserved miracle also.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Mar 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456740047

Antonio Marques Jr.

Antonio Marques Jr. (Tony) was born and raised in the city of Waterbury, CT. He is the only son of Antonio and Joanne Marques Sr. He has one sister, Melissa. He attended public schools in Waterbury, CT. He finished his GED at the Job Corp in Vermont. He earned a certificate in Auto Body and received his driving license while in the Job Corp. After moving back to Connecticut, he worked as a gas station attendant. He also worked at Meals on Wheels. Meals on Wheels was his last job before his almost fatal accident on February 6, 2003. He is a healthy paraplegic that can serve and care for himself with little or no assistance. Tony is fully active in his local church, Evangelistic Caravan Center, in Waterbury, CT. He wants to speak with the youth to advise them of the immediate danger of the drug and alcohol life style. He also wants to speak to parents, especially fathers, concerning their lack of involvement in their children lives, especially their sons.

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© 2011 Antonio Marques Jr. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 2/24/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4567-4005-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-4003-0 (dj)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-4004-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011902164

Printed in the United States of America

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Table of Contents

Dedication

Foreword

Introduction

The City

My Family

The Accident

Traffic Pileup

Aftermath of the Accident

The Moment of Truth for My Family

Panic

Time Line of My

Serious Condition

The Hospital Death Watch

Thank You, Mom and Dad

Miracles Never Cease

Unhealed Wounds

How Could I Ever Get Getter

The Beginning of

My Spiritual Change

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

Endnotes

Sources

missing image file

Tony’s parents-Antonio and Joanne Marques, Sr, near the pond

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my parents, Antonio Marques Sr. and Joanne Marques. The last question an interviewer asks his interviewee is, Whom would you rather have in the trenches with you? My answer is my mother and father. Surely, I was in the trenches from February 6, 2003, through late April 2003. Death was grabbing at me, but my parents said, You can’t have our son. A nurse said, Pull the plug. There are no brainwaves to validate life. My parents said, Keep working until you find some brainwaves. A doctor said, It’s over… what part of him do you want to donate to the living? My parents said, "He is living and no parts of his live body will be donated." I’m alive because they were in the trenches with me. I can’t imagine dedicating this book that tells of God’s mercy to anyone other than the two people who know it best.

Foreword

Tony’s life consists of three diverse segments divided by an accident and a conversion.

Before the accident Tony’s life revolved around his family, a few close friends, ear-splitting music, and pot. His ebullient nature made him high-spirited and enthusiastic around his friends, but that same ebullience could boil over and explode into violence when anyone else crossed him. He guarded his private life carefully and would not allow anyone else to get close.

During his recovery from the accident, Tony’s moods sometimes swung to amazement and gratefulness that he had survived, but more often they swung the other way to sullenness, disillusionment, and depression. He could not ignore his pain and loss and the fact that nothing would ever be the same again.

And yet after a long, torturous recovery, Tony finally went home. Then he got a specially designed vehicle he could drive, and he headed back to the drug scene. Maybe some things hadn’t changed so much after all. But he still was not happy, his disabilities hampered his style, and his health remained precarious.

Only when a new friend introduced Tony to Jesus Christ did he find fulfillment, joy, and contentment. He is still in a wheelchair, but his spirit stands tall. He uses every opportunity to witness to others so they can share in the new life he now enjoys. When asked if he is thankful for the accident, Tony answers no, but he knows that had it not occurred he would be dead—and he is very thankful to be alive in spite of his limitations.

Many readers would find it hard to believe that Tony and his new circle of friends regard the last segment of his life as better than the first. In the first his body was whole and strong, but his spirit was moody, miserable, and volatile. On the outside he was having a good time, but on the inside he felt empty and hopeless. But God changed Tony’s life at his conversion and gave him a new spirit. He is still confined to a wheelchair, but God lifts him up and gives him hope, peace, and real joy.

Patricia Bollmann

Freelance editor/writer. Master’s Degree in Church Ministry, Church of God Theological Seminary.

Introduction

What happened on February 6, 2003, changed my life forever. On the evening of that day I stepped into a car with two friends and within an hour an ambulance was rushing me to the Waterbury Hospital. No one knew whether I would live or die, but medical experts thought the latter outcome was the more likely one. But on that night my life was given back to me by what I consider to be an undeserved miracle. Many people have told me I should write my story, so this book is an attempt to tell what God has done for me.

The accident caused such horrific trauma to my body that many of the details are missing from my memory. But the story can be pieced together from testimonies and reports of the people who were at the accident scene and the people who attended to me initially at the hospital. My first intention was to write a few pages to let people know the reasons I am in this wheelchair. But as time went by, and because I didn’t know exactly how and what to write, I began to wonder whether people would believe such an incredible story. Time passed until, at the right time, a writer came into my life and said, Tony, there’s much more to your story than what you wrote on these few pages. He listened to what I could remember, compiled testimonies, police and medical reports and newspaper articles, and wrote a more complete story.

Now that the last word has been written, the conclusion is that people should know how the God of Heaven preserved my life so I can speak to other kids and their parents. To the young people who read this book I would say, Obey your parents, for it is usually the safest and the best way for you. To the parents I would say, Raise your children in the fear of the Lord. To everyone I would say, "Stay off