Serious knee injury to Matt means no income for his family

Hi, my name is Larson and I'm starting this for my buddy Matt who has recently suffered a serious knee injury whilst at work. Matt works as a self employed driver, and the nature of his injury means he will not be able to drive for between three to six months. Being self employed also means that Matt is not entitled to sick pay or any of the other company benefits a lot of us are lucky to have. The timing of his injury also meant he missed his son's recent 7th birthday celebrations, and is also missing out on a family trip with wife Gayle and their son and daughter. He puts his family first, always, so this has been especially difficult for him. He has also insisted that they still go for their short summer break without him, and they are under strict instructions to have a good time, which is just one example of his good character and how he feels about his family. He wants them to have as good a time as they can without him, although this will be more difficult for Gayle (aka Mrs Matt in the community) as earlier this year she underwent spinal fusion surgery. They are soul mates and loving parents going through a very tough time through no fault of their own.

As well as being a hard working and dedicated family man, he also has a hobby...a 'side line', the nature of which is providing entertainment and a community for others to enjoy. Matt is a sim racer and YouTuber! If you're not familiar with this, head into YouTube, search HogstonGT and you will see what a top bloke he is, and what an awesome community he's building. If you are familiar with sim racing and you've not seen Matt's channel, search HogstonGT and watch some fantastic racing in Gran Turismo 7 and Assetto Corsa Competizione! The video ‘short’ of Matt and Mrs Matt trying to drive the same car at the same time is comedy gold, and there are also plenty of videos of clean, fast, and respectful racing, another aspect which is central to his philosophy...he wants everyone to have a good time.

As you may have guessed by now, Matt's knee injury has also significantly affected his ability to enjoy his hobby, as sim racing requires using a driving 'rig' which is very similar to a real car in terms of wheel and pedals. He is going to continue as much as he can so that we, his community, don't miss out but it's not going to be anywhere near as enjoyable for him as he will only be able to race using a controller, or ‘pad’. This is okay, you just don't get anywhere near the same immersion in the racing. As is typical of the man though, he's putting us lot first! When you check out his YouTube channel, it probably won't surprise you to see that he is a member of, and is supported by, other top sim racing YouTubers, just two of which have over 200,000 subscribers between them! Again, an indication of how well he is thought of.

Matt and Gayle are awesome people and parents going through a very anxiety provoking and worrying time. Any donations will be so gratefully received and you will be helping a family who absolutely deserve it. 100%. Thank you so much for reading, and hopefully donating, it is very very much appreciated.