As most of you may know, my brother Mathew has been in the hospital for almost 4 weeks now. On 02/12/16, I found him laying in bed unresponsive and barely breathing. He was taken to the emergency room by the ambulance where it took more than 5 hours for the emergency doctors to fully stabilize him. The first week was the most difficult for our family because his fate was not certain and the doctors feared that he would not make it. Our lives were turned upside down and nothing has been the same ever since.

Upon admission, doctors found that Mathew had been suffering from severe pneumonia but were led to believe there was so much more going on due to the severity of his condition
At this point, Mathew had been in intensive care for 3 weeks fighting for his life while sedated and paralyzed not knowing what was happening to him. The infection overtook both his right and left lung which also  caused adverse effects on his heart. His heart may be weak now but those who know him, know that he has the biggest & strongest heart out of us all.

The doctors later found he had Type A Strep bacteria attacking his immune system and that he had suffered what they at first thought was a heart attack but later determined that he was near the last stage of septic shock. Mathew had become the sickest patient in the hospital and his condition was the worst the doctors and nurses had seen in anyone that young.

The infections in his blood and lungs caused organ failure that left him unable to breathe on his own and in an unstable condition for these past excruciating weeks. It was only a week ago that he was taken off of sedation, paralytics, had his breathing tubes removed, and has regained full consciousness. The doctors have determined that Mathew is expected to likely recover from this life changing event slowly, but surely. It is truly a miracle that he is still here with us today.

However, although he has made such great strides and is expected to get even better soon, he still has quite an arduous journey towards recovery including countless in home physical therapy sessions and respiratory care. He will require a lot of assistance just to complete daily tasks that many of us take for granted such as getting up to use the restroom or brushing our teeth. Doctors believe the scarring to his lungs and permanent damage may leave him not as the same as before but we know he is strong and is always in great spirits.

I know many if not all of you can agree that Mathew is one of the most kindest and generous people we know. He continuously helps others with whatever and whenever he can, even when dealing with his own struggles.

I am hoping that we could all come together now during his time of need and show him support by making a small contribution towards his medical and life expenses upon his return home. He does not know I am doing this and may not be agreeable to it but I know our efforts would make a huge difference towards his recovery and ultimately lift his spirits and warm his heart as he has done for us all these years.