Bring Matty Back
Donation protected
Matthew McCord needs our help. You all know what an amazing and wonderful person he is.
The last ten years have been incredibly hard on Matt. He carried and supported his wife through a decade of surgeries, cared for his mother as she fought cancer until we lost her five years ago, he carried us and kept us on our feet as best he could, and we were really doing well. Then COVID hit and we both lost our jobs, causing immense financial stress on him. This spring, when restaurants reopened, he went back to work busier than ever, with few days off and over 12-hour shifts. He was physically and emotionally exhausted. By May 2021 he was starting to exhibit (what I know understand are) manic symptoms. Because he had never had any type of psychological changes or symptoms EVER in his life, it was very hard for me to comprehend what was happening. Matt has always been incredibly clear-minded and responsible, and this behavior was so different. He stopped sleeping and had endless energy, which gave him unlimited time to unravel his life. He started going out at all hours and spending all our money. He was becoming more and more paranoid and agitated until June 1, I brought him to the ER believing he was having a heart attack. After he was given medication to calm down, he seemed completely clear for the first time in weeks. However, I still did not understand the full scope of what was happening and how much of what he was talking about was based on delusion. In the week after the ER visit, he began to spiral quickly out of control, far more than ever before, causing incredible damage to our lives.
Bipolar disorder gives you these grandiose ideas that you are invincible and can do anything. This manifested in Matt with him believing he had infinite money and him wanting to help people, so he gave away many items and money to other people. He tried to sell his car in Long Beach and then abandoned my car with an empty tank in a nearby parking lot, believing it was stolen and filing a police report. By June 11 he was in complete psychosis and very scared, we had had no money or cars from his manic actions, and our apartment was completely trashed. I had some friends come pick us up and take him back to the emergency room. That was without a doubt the worst day of my life. I had to agree to a 5150 hold which keeps him hospitalized against his will. I did this out of fear for his own safety above all else. The state he was in that day, he could have easily gotten himself arrested or much worse.
Matty was transferred to a psychiatric facility, where he stayed for two full weeks. In that time, we were able to luckily recover both our cars, but unfortunately, we are still missing many belongings and have no leads as to what happened to our money. He was officially diagnosed with bipolar disorder with psychosis. I know that the hospital was a very traumatic experience for him, he would call me several times a day scared out of his mind, and it was awful. Those weeks were a nightmare I could not wake up from. Matty was discharged from the hospital on June 25. I had to pay $2,000 contingent upon his discharge which I used the money from this fundraiser for. If I didn’t have those donations, he may still be stuck there. After waiting for two hours in front of the hospital, they all but shoved him out the door without a word to me. A doctor never spoke to me about his condition or care the entire time he was locked up. He was wrapped in a hospital gown, he was disoriented and terrified, and he had easily lost over 20 pounds. It was heartbreaking.
So here we are now, almost three weeks after his discharge. He has come so far, adjusted so well to his new medication and he is clearer than ever. As much as I want to just focus on his healing and make sure he is ready before he goes back to work, we are in a state of emergency financially. We’re coming out of this with no income, no health insurance, and we’re completely tapped right now. We are both looking for jobs and selling belongings to help buy us some time, but we could really use a life raft. I could not be more thankful for the support and donations we have received so far, those and the messages of love have made this very dark ordeal a little brighter. We are eternally grateful to you all for your support. Thank you so much <3
Kristin McCord
Matthew McCord
The last ten years have been incredibly hard on Matt. He carried and supported his wife through a decade of surgeries, cared for his mother as she fought cancer until we lost her five years ago, he carried us and kept us on our feet as best he could, and we were really doing well. Then COVID hit and we both lost our jobs, causing immense financial stress on him. This spring, when restaurants reopened, he went back to work busier than ever, with few days off and over 12-hour shifts. He was physically and emotionally exhausted. By May 2021 he was starting to exhibit (what I know understand are) manic symptoms. Because he had never had any type of psychological changes or symptoms EVER in his life, it was very hard for me to comprehend what was happening. Matt has always been incredibly clear-minded and responsible, and this behavior was so different. He stopped sleeping and had endless energy, which gave him unlimited time to unravel his life. He started going out at all hours and spending all our money. He was becoming more and more paranoid and agitated until June 1, I brought him to the ER believing he was having a heart attack. After he was given medication to calm down, he seemed completely clear for the first time in weeks. However, I still did not understand the full scope of what was happening and how much of what he was talking about was based on delusion. In the week after the ER visit, he began to spiral quickly out of control, far more than ever before, causing incredible damage to our lives.
Bipolar disorder gives you these grandiose ideas that you are invincible and can do anything. This manifested in Matt with him believing he had infinite money and him wanting to help people, so he gave away many items and money to other people. He tried to sell his car in Long Beach and then abandoned my car with an empty tank in a nearby parking lot, believing it was stolen and filing a police report. By June 11 he was in complete psychosis and very scared, we had had no money or cars from his manic actions, and our apartment was completely trashed. I had some friends come pick us up and take him back to the emergency room. That was without a doubt the worst day of my life. I had to agree to a 5150 hold which keeps him hospitalized against his will. I did this out of fear for his own safety above all else. The state he was in that day, he could have easily gotten himself arrested or much worse.
Matty was transferred to a psychiatric facility, where he stayed for two full weeks. In that time, we were able to luckily recover both our cars, but unfortunately, we are still missing many belongings and have no leads as to what happened to our money. He was officially diagnosed with bipolar disorder with psychosis. I know that the hospital was a very traumatic experience for him, he would call me several times a day scared out of his mind, and it was awful. Those weeks were a nightmare I could not wake up from. Matty was discharged from the hospital on June 25. I had to pay $2,000 contingent upon his discharge which I used the money from this fundraiser for. If I didn’t have those donations, he may still be stuck there. After waiting for two hours in front of the hospital, they all but shoved him out the door without a word to me. A doctor never spoke to me about his condition or care the entire time he was locked up. He was wrapped in a hospital gown, he was disoriented and terrified, and he had easily lost over 20 pounds. It was heartbreaking.
So here we are now, almost three weeks after his discharge. He has come so far, adjusted so well to his new medication and he is clearer than ever. As much as I want to just focus on his healing and make sure he is ready before he goes back to work, we are in a state of emergency financially. We’re coming out of this with no income, no health insurance, and we’re completely tapped right now. We are both looking for jobs and selling belongings to help buy us some time, but we could really use a life raft. I could not be more thankful for the support and donations we have received so far, those and the messages of love have made this very dark ordeal a little brighter. We are eternally grateful to you all for your support. Thank you so much <3
Kristin McCord
Matthew McCord
Organizer
Kristin McCord
Organizer
Aliso Viejo, CA