Hope for Hope

Hi Friends,

Asking for help is hard, but sometimes we need it...

On Saturday, July 24th, 2021, our beloved Matthew was home with his wife and 16 month old baby when he suffered a seizure. He was rushed to a local hospital where he had yet another seizure followed by a massive stroke. Matt had emergency brain surgery to remove the clots, but the damage he suffered is catastrophic. Matt remains in the ICU in critical condition. 

Upon further investigation of the clots, timeline, and MRI/CT scans, the doctors, neurological team, and medical staff have diagnosed Matt with VITT, or vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia - a direct result of the COVID-19 Vaccine that he received on July 7th, 2021. This is an incredibly rare side effect of the vaccine and the chances of this happening to a healthy adult is less than one in a million.

The road ahead is full of challenges but we believe that with Matty's strength and his doctors’ capabilities, he can recover. However, he will need many months of rest, recovery, and rehabilitation. We are humbly asking for assistance to help relieve some of the financial strain that, unfortunately, is a tragic reality of intensive healthcare.

In turn, we promise to do our part to make sure Matt has the best care so that he can return home to his beautiful family and grace the world with his good humor, kindness, and cooking videos.  Let's give him the opportunity to teach his son Benjamin how to play soccer, cheer on the NY Giants, and become an incredible human just like his dad. 

With love and gratitude,

The Hopes & The O'Connells