Help Matt Get Back to Health

Help Matt Get Back to health

Matthew vonWerder had a lot to look forward to.  He was 23 , graduated a few months prior from Purdue University with his master’s degree, had recently gotten engaged and had just started law school at the University of Colorado in Boulder.  However, on his second day of law school, August 27, 2019, he became ill and was found vomiting in the men’s restroom. Four hours later, he was found unconscious on the floor of the restroom with a trail of blood droplets showing where he had been. He was taken immediately to the hospital and was in surgery within 30 minutes of arriving at the hospital. Matt underwent surgery for an extensive brain bleed and brain herniation--his brain was trying to escape the swelling pressures in his skull! The surgeons opened up his skull to let the brain expand.  While most patients do not survive the type of brain injury that Matthew had, our Matthew did.  Afterwards, he was in an induced coma and on a ventilator for 5 days. We thought he was turning a corner, when unexpectedly; Matt suffered a stroke in his cerebellum. All progress he had made was just erased. Matt went back on the ventilator for several more days. Fast forward to day 20 and Matthew still is in the intensive care unit, using a ventilator at times. 

Matt is now conscious, but is unable to speak and is in serious condition. The stroke affected the left side of his body.  Once he is stable, he will begin inpatient rehabilitation for 60 days. After that, he will need outpatient therapy to help him get back as of much of his life as possible as well as 24-hour supervision once he is home. 

Matt’s parents, Pete and Rhonda flew out from Indiana to be by his side.  Pete had to return to Indiana to take care of their other children, but Rhonda has remained in Boulder. 

Although Matt has insurance, his medical bills are mounting (toppling $1 million at this point) and will continue to do so as he goes through rehabilitation.  In addition, with Rhonda being in Boulder, the family has lost a source of income from her job and has extra living expenses being far from home.

Our goal is to raise $100,000 to help Pete and Rhonda with travel expenses, medical bills for Matt, special equipment Matt may need, and continued therapy for Matt. 

Thank you for reading Matt’s story.  Matt is my nephew and Godson. He is such a good young man, an Eagle Scout, and such a helpful and caring human being. As his Godmother, I don’t have a magic wand to make this go away, but I do have access to the power of social media. Together, we can make such a difference! We appreciate any contributions you may be able to donate. We also ask for continued prayers for Matt’s recovery and strength for his family and fiancée during this time. Please share our campaign link on social media and with your friends. Please encourage them to share as well.  A little help from many people will go a long way. Thank you for helping Matt heal on his journey. We will keep you posted on Matt’s progress going forward.