In April 2006, actor, comedian and humanitarian Mark Curry was nearly killed in a freak accident at his California home. Gayle welcomes the former Hangin' with Mr. Cooper star to talk about his near-death experience and life-changing recovery.

Mark was doing laundry in the basement of his home when an aerosol can struck a water heater nearby and exploded. The fire caused by the explosion left Mark with burns covering 18 percent of his body. Mark was rushed to the hospital where he spent three days in a medically induced coma, followed by months of recuperation at home, which caused him to lose 25 pounds.

During his long and painful recovery, Mark says he contemplated suicide to end his suffering. But he says that the laughter and support of family, friends and comedians like Bill Cosby and Sinbad helped him pull through. "It made me cry out of joy," he says.

Today, Mark says he has a new lease on life. "My life is beautiful today," he says. "I feel that I have a new resurgence in life and my comedy is better." In fact, Mark says that comedy has been his saving grace throughout his difficult ordeal. "I'm using comedy as a form of treatment because if not, I would be so depressed," he says.