Dear Mr. and Mrs. Bradshaw,

   This is a voice from the past, and I hope you'll remember me. I'm what has grown out of that skinny, silly kid who used to run around in a kilt at band camp, and always talked about the Navy. 

  Well, it seems like those days were long ago...and in some ways, they were. I'm sure with all you guys have been through in the last 3 years, it has probably been an eternity. I kind of ended up here by accident, and I'm really glad I did. The last news I heard wasn't promising at all, and to hear that Mandy is doing well has really made what is turning out to be a great week even better!

   Mandy and I weren't close, but I loved her attitude and her spirit, and she always made me laugh...not that mirth was ever lacking, but she was contagious and nobody could ever stay too grumpy or boring with Mandy around. You guys know this better than anyone, though. And I'm probably just echoing what's already been said a thousand times already.

   The point I want to make is that I've really distanced myself from what was my home. My folks moved to Maine my senior year, as you may recall, and soon after graduation I went to boot camp. I've fallen out of touch with most of the people whom I still consider dear friends, due to schedules and geoghaphy. I'm happy with who I've become and what I'm doing with my life, and proud. But I really do miss the good old days. That's life, though, right?

   Yeah, so...the elusive point. Mandy was an inspiration for me in the old days, and when she had her accident, she was another kind of inspiration; some days I motivated myself by saying that I'd better do my job so America stays free and Mandy Bradshaw can have the best medical advances possible. And when I thought the worst was inevitable, I figured sometimes God only gives us so much time with his best works and then he takes them back.

   I'm just glad He's still letting us learn from this one.

   Please, keep this page updated...at least so that this sailor can stand on foreign shores and know of the miracles going on back home.