Never Give up Hope
The truly impactful story of how a life-changing injury did not injure the hope of a young man.
Matt was only 21-years-old when he fell from a ladder causing him to suffer a catastrophic brain injury. He was assisting another contractor on his job at the time. “Life can change in the blink of an eye,” Matt’s mother, Karen shared. For her and Matt, it changed forever. After Matt was taken to the hospital, the doctor’s shared with Karen that Matt only had a matter of minutes left to live. Three days later, Matt was still alive. The doctor then told Karen that Matt would never be cognitive, but that he would be in a vegetative state and would not fully recover from his injuries. He was sent home after five weeks.
Four months later, after hourly care and stimulation by his mother, and with the help of neighbors, Matt awoke from his coma and continued to improve daily. Karen constantly pushed Matt to keep fighting and Matt never stopped recovering. Karen’s husband died the same year of a heart attack. Regardless of the dark days they both had, Karen and Matt pushed forward and never gave up hope. Karen frequently carried Matt and put him on the couch whenever they had company. One day as she was helping him get out of bed, he told her that he wanted to sit on the couch with her. He then started to remember things and to ask more and more questions. It was the start of a very positive change for Matt. Despite a very painful infection in his face, he learned to be able to express his feelings and thoughts through speaking. Karen constructed beams and bars for him to attempt to walk. Matt would frequently push himself to do more each day and push his body to heal.
Ten years later, Matt is about to move into an apartment on his own. He holds a part time job at Pet’s Mart. He enjoys being with a brotherhood through a local center and playing poker. Recently, he has even been able to ride horses again, which is one of his greatest passions. He is a strong man and continues to push his body to stay healthy.
Karen hopes to encourage other families who are dealing with similar issues. “Don’t be afraid of the pain and injury,” she shared, “Your child is behind that and they want you to fight for them.” She hopes that one day Matt will be able to share his story with others to motivate them to keep fighting when it is not easy. Matt and Karen are true examples of why you should never give up hope.