Last fall, Gary Markham knocked himself out cold after falling from a ladder while he was cleaning out the gutters. He believes he misplaced his foot, fell onto the patio and cracked his head.

When he regained consciousness in the hospital, his first confused words gave no hint how serious his situation would become.

"Is that Vijay Singh?" the 59-year-old Charleston lawyer asked, looking at coverage of a golf tournament on his hospital television.

He seemed to be doing well until one month later. He was recovering at home. It was two days after Christmas. And Markham had a seizure at 5 a.m.

"I thought he was kidding. I thought he was just acting silly at first," said his wife, Ditty.

Then she realized the situation was very serious.

"I called 911 and screamed," she said. "Finally, he came out of it."

By the time an ambulance crew arrived, Markham was acting normal. Ditty insisted that he should go to the hospital anyway. He went in for a CT scan and had another seizure during the test.

The doctor rushed out and told Ditty, "Our only chance of saving him is to do surgery. Now."

Surgeons removed a damaged vein in his brain, saving Markham's life but causing a lot of complications. Markham was in a coma for the week between Christmas and New Year's Day.

Since then, he has recovered more than many people thought he could or than he ever thought he would have to.

At first he could barely sit on the edge of his bed. Then he was able to use a wheelchair, and then a cane. Now he is able to walk again.

His eyesight is damaged. Damage to his brain means he can't always recognize objects that are on the left side of his body. For example, sometimes he accidentally bumps into a waiter, not knowing he was ever there.

But he says he is making remarkable progress thanks to rehabilitation and the generosity of dedicated friends.

When Markham first came home from the hospital, his family was in a bind because Ditty had to go back to work as an elementary school guidance counselor. Markham needed someone to watch out for him and take him to therapy.

"I'll do it," said neighbor David Stone. "I'm his best buddy."

Stone has been Markham's neighbor for 20 years. Before the accident, they were regular golf partners.

Now Stone has agreed to stay in Chicago with Markham for eight weeks of rehabilitation, including cognitive therapy, starting next month. Stone will tend to their apartment, get dinner ready, provide chauffer service and, most importantly, be a friend.

That's the kind of support the Markhams have appreciated all along.

He's Jewish and she's Christian, so temples and churches alike prayed for Markham. They received well wishes from people who knew Ditty from her days on the Kanawha County school board and from her current position on Charleston City Council.

Markham still receives calls and cards from people who know him from his job at the Charleston law firm Bowles, Rice, McDavid, Graff & Love.

"I don't think there's a day that goes by that I don't hear from former clients of mine," Markham said.

Ditty said she didn't have to cook at all between last November and this February because friends and family donated meals.

"I don't know what we would have done if we had been in a town where we didn't know anyone," Ditty said.

With the brain therapy he will receive in Chicago and continued physical therapy, Markham hopes to achieve two goals: He wants to return to his law firm, and he wants to get back on the golf course.

"Nothing like a near death experience to get your priorities in order," Markham said.

He says he would be nowhere near achieving his goals without the support of his friends and family.

"In times like this, people care for you and you really appreciate it," he said. "It's important to be a contributor to the community because you never know when you might need the community."

Contact writer Brad McElhinny at 348-4872.