Matthew Wilson's Road to Recovery

WHAT HAPPENED TO MATTHEW

Hi, my name is Carrie Hudgins and Matthew Wilson is my son. I am starting this campaign for him due to a recent serious injury he received in a car accident. I hope that the following provides a glimpse into what recently happened to him, the challenges that he has overcome, what he continues to face, and most importantly wonderful details about who he is as a person.

In the early morning on Wednesday, January 25th, Matthew was headed to work. It was raining, as it had been for several days, so the roads were wet and slippery. Matthew came around a curve in the road and hydroplaned. The car went off the road and onto some very wet, slippery grass. Matthew could not get the car to stop and ended up hitting a culvert in the driveway. The car went airborne and landed on the other side of the driveway. Fortunately, Matthew was not thrown from the car. However, he was injured and could not exit the car when it did finally come to rest.

The nice family that lived there called 911 for him as he was hurt. The EMTs had to assist him in getting out of the car. He was having severe back pain. He was taken to Floyd Medical Center in Rome, GA as a trauma patient. There they were able to assess his injuries. That is where we found out he had broken his back at L1 and would require surgery to correct it.

Matthew was required to lay completely flat and could not move for the next 24 hours. The physicians explained that if he moved incorrectly, he could become paralyzed. That was the longest 24 hours of our life!

Matthew was taken into surgery on January 26th where the neurosurgeon, Dr. Whitaker-Lea, was able to correct the injury. They had to fuse the spinal bones from T11 through L3 with screws and metal.

Matthew had to have a drain in his back after the surgery for the next 3 days. We were instructed that he will need to wear a brace anytime he is not laying down. He began Physical Therapy with his new brace the next day and we were so excited when he was just able to get out of bed and walk a few steps. Each day after, we would see a little more improvement. He was finally discharged and able to go home on Monday, January 30th where he will continue his recovery.

WHY WE ARE SEEKING SUPPORT

The small glass business that Matthew worked for as a Glazier; installing glass, mirrors, shower doors, metal work; did not offer Medical insurance and he worked an hourly job to support his family. Matthew was the sole provider. Due to his injuries, Matthew will not be able to work for a minimum of 6 months and possibly up to 12 months. He is not able to lift more than a gallon of milk during his recovery.

This catastrophic medical event has impacted everyone who loves and cares about him- most notably his immediate family.

Because of this, we are setting up this GoFundMe initiative as a means of reaching out on behalf of Matthew and his family- requesting the type of assistance that can only be achieved through the kindness and generosity of our communities.

If you are in a position to contribute, we would be more than appreciative.

This assistance is especially needed because Matthew will be unable to work for the foreseeable future as he weathers this painful, life-altering event. Your love and support will go a long way in being able to offset the tremendous expenses that we continue to incur related to his care – ambulances, surgical/hospital/medical bills, food expenses, unpaid leave from work, future rehabilitation, and so much more that we likely cannot fathom at this moment.

ABOUT MATTHEW

Matthew loves God and is a family-oriented, hard-working, loving man. He has a wonderful sense of humor and is a fan of movies. He loves Star Wars and everything to go with it. He listens to Country music but is a fan of many other genres as well.