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If you haven't seen my previous blog "R.I.P. Matt" from June, you are encouraged to do so before continuing with reading this entry.

When I typed my blog entry in May, I was simply speaking from the heart as I was entering the tail end of a horrible several months in my life...dealing with the end of my long marriage and the deaths of 4 close friends and/or relatives..all this in a span of 8 months.

I knew how difficult it was to deal with depression, my ex has it and it played a part in the ending of our marriage. To see this further personified in the death of Matt made expressing this issue painfully difficult, but emotionally easy to complete.

I was simply expressing my pain in the form of computer-derived letters and hoping to shed some light onto the destructiveness of depression and the "taboo" that is suicide.

I typed it and forgot about it.--until two weeks ago.

I'll be the first to admit, I haven't seen one episode of "Stormchasers" this season for a variety of reasons, including how the show REALLY isn't a reality show no longer..and I won't go into any explanations as to why. But, another reason was Matt, I simply didn't want to be constantly reminded of what happened earlier this spring as I've found a way to move forward.

But a week ago, I was surprised..actually stunned..when my news director, Dave Grant, asked me if I'd "googled" myself recently?..my first reaction to this was of worry..what did I do wrong this time??--I answered the question with a tepid "why".

Dave tells me that I was quoted from my blog in numerous publications around the world in reference to Matt Hughes death.

To be honest, I had forgotten that the episode of "Stormchasers" with the tribute to Matt had aired, I had been asked the previous week by fellow stormchaser friends if I was going to see it, part of me wanted to, but after thinking more about it, I decided that I didn't want to see it since I've moved on.

Well, that episode generated a flurry of interest from viewers and news media alike. Since he had died in May, there wasn't any press releases as to his passing, so it wasn't until the tribute episode aired that the world knew he was gone. News media began searching out the "facts" of the case, from obtaining police reports and death certificates (all public records) to finding friends and "Googling" for web postings.

This is where the "speed of mass-media" meets up with the "power of the blog"!

As fast as lightning, my blog entry from May was found, read, and disseminated by thousands of people in a matter of days and some of my quotes were used in publications worldwide. This is known as "going viral".

Everyone from the tabloid show "TMZ", to the New York Post and the New Delhi Chronicle used excerpts from my blog in their stories regarding Matt. This, in turn, directed more people to my blog..and to comment.

I'll be honest, at first, I kinda blew this off, but as I read each comment and see that people continue to comment on my site, I understood what the power of a blog can do.

This is also when I learned something that I didn't expect, that my blog and my candid feelings dealing with depression (from a second-hand point of view), served to inspire people around the world.

In closing, I want to say thank you to all that took the time to read my blog and understand who Matt was away from the cameras. I want to also thank those who took more time to comment on the site and express your condolences.

Finally, I want to say thank you to those that took even more time to disclose their battles with depression in which I'm sure was difficult to reveal to the world of the web.

If my comments inspired those with depression to seek help, then I'm humbled (I've never really thought of myself as an "inspiring" person).

I just wish I had learned more about depression during my marriage as I still miss her and the memories we made.