Mark Bowe talks about recovering from a torn bicep and rotator cuff
By Stephen Baldwin, RealWV
At the end of 2023, Mark Bowe took some vacation time off work…so he could have surgery from on-the-job injuries.
“I always idolized my dad,” Mark says. “He was the hardest working guy ever. Worked 30 years underground in the coal mines and never missed a day.”
“He used to take vacation to have surgeries,” Mark remembers. “I thought that was terrible. Here I am taking my hiatus from building barns to get a surgery, so I guess I didn’t fall far from the tree.”
Mark’s injuries occurred on the job about a year ago. He not only tore a rotator cuff, but he also tore his trademark bicep. He continued working through the injuries in the year since, but he knew he needed to take time to get healthy. So when he and the crew had a three-month break from filming this winter, he scheduled surgery.
Dr. Chad Lavender with Marshall Orthopaedics in Huntington, WV, performed the surgery on the Barnwood Builder. He gives them kudos for a job well done and says he would recommend them to anyone.
Roughly a month out from surgery, how’s he feeling?
“I’m 25% right now,” Mark begins, “and for most men that’s 75%.” He told me this over the phone, but I could see a signature Mark Bowe smile and hear a signature Mark Bowe laugh on the other end of the line. But he wasn’t done.
“I’m not your normal man,” he said. “I have a high pain tolerance and low IQ. So I’m tougher than a yeller toenail.”
He says someone once told him he was “tougher than a yeller toenail,” and it was the greatest compliment he has ever received.
Mark is on the mend now, looking forward to getting back out with the crew this spring. But first, he says he needs to do some shopping.
“There’s been nothing positive about being laid up at the holidays,” he reflects. “It’s caused gravity to show itself in my belly. I’ve gained a few pounds and need to go shopping so I don’t look fat on TV.”
So for all of Mark’s fans, concerned about his well being, fear not for his mind and sense of humor–they are both perfectly intact. His bicep and shoulder are improving each day.
Even at 25%, he’s still 75% compared to most men. And come spring, we can expect to see him in some new clothes working like a pioneer with his beloved barnwood.
In the meantime, you can catch the latest new episodes of Barnwood Builders on MAX via the Magnolia Network Thursday nights at 9pm.
