Matt Olmstead's Road to Recovery: Devastating injuries

Hi ... my name is Gwen, and I am Matt's Mom.

On Thursday, April 18, 2024, Matt was enjoying a leisurely ride on his motorbike, along the beautiful and scenic Peggy's Cove Road, just outside Halifax, NS, when his rear wheel hit a patch of gravel, sending him down a steep embankment and, narrowly, missing a huge boulder, which would have ended his life. Matt has suffered the loss of his legs that has left him permanently paralyzed from the waist down.

As I sit here writing this, I am in disbelief that I am writing these words about my son and that he will NEVER walk again ... it's all so surreal.

Let me tell you how Matt was found ... 2 ladies, from the Halifax area, were enjoying the day and having lunch at Peggy's Cove, a scenic & iconic tourist attraction which features a lighthouse and beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean. When they got on to the highway for a slow drive back to the city, they saw 2 motorcycles ahead of them … due to a long curve in the road, they lost sight of the bikes, but as they rounded the next curve they noticed a puff of dust in the air, and no bikes. "Hmmm, that's weird", they thought, thinking that was a little out of place. They continued driving for another couple minutes, and when they rounded another curve, they could see only one motorcycle, way up ahead. The driver, Tara, got a feeling in the pit of her stomach and a voice in her head that said, turn around - go back, which they did. When they got back to the area where they saw the puff of dirt, Laura, the passenger rolled her window down and they drove slowly. Laura thought she heard something, so they stopped the vehicle and got out to look. As they looked down the steep embankment, they saw nothing but Matt's hand reaching up out of the bush. They made their way down and Laura held Matt's hand and kept him calm while Tara went back up to the road and called EHS. We know about these ladies because Tara, who does not know us or Matt, was very concerned and called ICU at Halifax Hospital ... they, in turn, gave us her name and my husband, Paul, and I connected with her. So, so very grateful for these 2 wonderful women who, literally, saved Matt's life ... how do you repay that?

Libby, Matt's wife has been by his side every, single moment as Matt went through 5 hours of surgery, fusing his back, putting in rods and screws ... he is suffering numerous broken bones above the waist, and has just had his breathing and stomach tubes removed. The Doctors and Nurses are phenomenal, and the outpouring of support coming from all over Canada, is so powerful and overwhelming ... Thank you all.

We don't even know what we don't know yet, and the things they'll need, going forward.

Matt will be in the hospital for months to come, including a rehabilitation facility where he'll learn to be independent, and fitted with a wheelchair to help him learn to navigate this new world.

Matt is a proud, hardworking carpenter who started his own construction company a few years ago, and was no stranger to long hours of hard work ... this ethic will be of service to him, going forward.

As Matt works at this monumental challenge, what he doesn't need is the worry that the financial burden will bring. Very little is covered by MSI and he'll need: medications, medical supplies, wheelchair, retrofit his vehicle when he's ready to drive, travel to and from rehab/physio, etc. They will have to move, as they are currently living in a 2 story walk-up which will be impossible for Matt to manage.

They will need to find a new, wheelchair accessible apartment, that they can manage on one income ... the list is endless.

Matt & Libby need our help !! They are both caring, loving people who would go out of their way to help anyone who needed it ... we can help them in their time of need !!

Contributions of any amount are so deeply and lovingly accepted. If you can't contribute monetarily, but have contacts in the apartment, construction, government grants, or any other industry you feel would be helpful, please reach out to me via Facebook - Gwen Olmstead - these are more than words, they are a Mother's plea for her son. Ask yourself ... "what would I do if this was my child?"

ANYTHING and EVERYTHING !!

Thank you from the deepest region of my heart.

Gwen