Reporter: ON SATURDAY

MORNING, MAY 1st, 2004,

BARRY BLAZE WAS RIDING HIS

MOTORCYCLE HOME FROM A

FAMILY GATHERING.

HIS WIFE, CYNTHIA, WAS IN A

VAN AHEAD OF HIM.

A STORM WAS APPROACHING, AND

BARRY HOPED HE COULD MAKE IT

HOME.

A BRIDGE WAS STRAIGHT

AHEAD.

IT STARTED TO SPRINKLE.

AND WE WERE KIND OF DRIVING

AROUND, HOME, AND RIGHT

BEFORE WE GET ON TO THIS

BRIDGE, IT STARTED TO

REALLY, REALLY RAIN, REALLY

HARD.

WE WERE LIKE, THIS ISN'T

GOOD.

BARRY SHOULDN'T BE DRIVING

IN THIS.

BUT WE WERE ALREADY ON TO

THE BRIDGE, AND IT IS JUST A

TWO-LANE ROAD.

AND THERE IS NO PLACE TO

STOP.

WE WERE PRAYING THAT BARRY

DIDN'T GET ON THE BRIDGE.

Reporter: CYNTHIA AND

HER PARENTS WERE PRAYING AND

LOOKED BACK TO SEE IF HE

MADE IT ACROSS THE BRIDGE.

WE TURNED BACK AND LOOKED

ON THE BRIDGE, AND THAT'S

WHEN WE SAW A WHOLE BUNCH OF

CARS STOPPED, AND WE KNEW.

Reporter: THE FORCE OF

THE WIND AND RAIN AND THE

WATER ON THE ROAD, HAD SENT

BARRY HEAD-FIRST INTO THE

CONCRETE BARRIER.

IT WAS VERY BAD.

HIS HELMET WAS CRACKED IN

THE FRONT.

AND THE STUFFING WAS COMING

OUT OF IT.

AND HIS EARS WERE BLEEDING.

Reporter: PARAMEDICS

RUSHED BARRY TO THE CLOSEST

TRAUMA HOSPITAL WHERE

DOCTORS GAVE HIM NO CHANCE

OF SURVIVAL.

HE WAS REALLY SEVERELY

AFFECTED BY THE HEAD

TRAUMA.

HE HAD TWO DETACHED RETINAS,

WHICH MEANT THAT THE NERVES

OF HIS EYES HAD ACTUALLY

PULLED AWAY FROM THE GLOBE,

WHICH TAKES A SEVERE

INJURY.

AND, IN ADDITION, HE HAD

INJURIES TO BOTH EARS, WHICH

IS AN UNUSUAL SITUATION.

AND HE WAS SUFFERING FROM

HEARING LOSS AND WAS -- YOU

KNOW, WAS NOT EXPECTED TO

SURVIVE.

Reporter: BARRY

REMAINED IN THE COMAS AND

DOCTORS DID A CAT SCAN TO

CHECK FOR SKULL FRACTURES.

THEY FOUND NONE, BUT BARRY

WAS STILL UNCONSCIOUS.

I WAS WAITING IN THE

WAITING ROOM, AND I CALLED

MY SISTER, AND SHE JUST

PRAYED WITH ME.

AND IT WAS THE BEST THING,

WHAT I NEEDED, AT THAT

MOMENT.

Reporter: BARRY MADE IT

THROUGH THE NIGHT, MUCH TO

THE DOCTORS' AMAZEMENT.

BUT WOKE UP THE NEXT DAY AND

REALIZED HE WAS BLIND AND

PARTIALLY DEAF.

IT WAS DIFFICULT AT

TIMES, BUT I ALWAYS KNEW --

BUT HE'S HERE.

AND I WAS JUST GLAD TO HAVE

HIM FOR ANOTHER DAY.

Reporter: AS BARRIE

BECAME MORE ALERT, HE SPENT

A LOT OF TIME PRAYING.

I HAD THIS INCREDIBLE

SENSATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

COMING OVER ME AND TELLING

ME THAT EVERYTHING WAS GOING

TOBO̩M BE OKAY, AND THAT GOD WAS

WITH ME.

AND THAT HE WAS NOW WRITING

A NEW CHAPTER IN MY LIFE.

I KNEW THAT HIS SENSES

WOULD BE DIFFERENT, AND I

WOULD BE NEEDING TO TAKE

CARE OF HIM FOR A WHILE.

BUT GOD HAD GIVEN ME A PEACE

THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE

OKAY.

Reporter: WHEN BARRY

WAS DISCHARGED FROM THE

HOSPITAL, HE HAD TO LEARN

HOW TO WALK AND BALANCE

HIMSELF AGAIN.

SPECIALISTS PERFORMED

MULTIPLE SURGERIES TO REPAIR

HIS RETINAS AND HIS INNER

EARS.

I WAS TRYING TO LOOK IN

THE MIRROR, AND I COULDN'T

SEE MYSELF.

I CAN REMEMBER BEING SO

FRIGHTENED AND FEELING

VULNERABLE THAT I BEGAN

SHAKING.

IN AN INSTANT, MY WHOLE LIFE

HAD BEEN ALMOST TAKEN AWAY

FROM ME, AND I HAD THE MOST

AMOUNT OF FEAR AND

INSECURITY THAT WAS MATCH

IMAGINABLE.

Reporter: BARRY

WONDERED ABOUT HIS CAREER AS

A WORSHIP LEADER AND A

MUSICIAN AND HOW HE WOULD

SUPPORT HIS FAMILY.

I CRIED OUT TO GOD AND I

SAID, IF YOU'LL GIVE ME

ENOUGH HEARING BACK SO I CAN

JUST HEAR PITCH, AND IF I

CAN JUST HEAR THAT AND SING

TO YOU AGAIN, THAT WOULD

ALLOW MY HEART TO REJOICE SO

MUCH.

AND THAT'S ALL I WANT.

SO GOD STARTED TO RESTORE

THAT FROM THAT DAY FORWARD.

Reporter: BARRY'S

RECOVERY WAS LONG AND

CHALLENGING.

CYNTHIA REMEMBERS CROSSING

THE FIRST BIG MILESTONE.

I REMEMBER THE FIRST DAY

HE ACTUALLY HEARD THE COFFEE

POT.

AND IT WAS JUST LIKE SOME

SMALL, LITTLE THING, BUT

THAT MEANT A LOT.

Reporter: OWE

VERBALLY -- EVENTUALLY,

BARRY WAS ABLE TO SEE

CLEARLY, AND CAN HEAR WELL

ENOUGH WITH A HEARING AID TO

RETURN TO WHAT HE LOVES.

IT IS MIRACULOUS THE WAY

HE RECOVERED FROM THE SEVERE

HEAD TRIAL.

IN MY MIND, GOD IS THE ONE

WHO GETS THE CREDIT.

Reporter: WITH LIMITED

HEARING, BARRY PENNED A NEW

SERIES OF SONGS FOR HIS

BAND.

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT

MOMENT FOR ME IN THIS

HEALING PROCESS WAS THE

ABILITY, AGAIN, TO START

RECORDING.

AS GOD GAVE THOSE THINGS

BACK TO ME, IT WAS HUGE FOR

ME.

Reporter: THROUGH THE

WHOLE ORDEAL, BARRY HAD COME

TO REALIZE NO MATTER HOW

DIFFICULT THE STRUGGLE HE

FACES, GOD IS ALWAYS THERE

TO STRENGTHEN HIM.

WHAT ALL OF THIS HAS

TAUGHT ME, DEFINITELY, FAITH

AND TRUST AND KNOWING THAT

GOD IS THERE.

AND HE'S GOING TO TAKE MY

HAND THROUGH THE HARDEST

TIMES.

AND THOUGH I WILL HAVE A LOT

OF FEAR SOMETIMES, I WILL

KNOW HE IS WITH ME.

AND I'M HELD TIGHT IN HIS

NOTORIOUS RIGHT HAND.