On July 8, 2017, Matthew was involved in a severe automobile accident.  He was waiting for traffic to clear in his Honda Civic, when he was struck from behind by a full-size repair van full of tools by a driver who was distracted.

On impact, Matthew received a severe head trauma when his head struck the driver-side door pillar of his car, resulting in a traumatic brain injury.  His car was totaled.  The accident has left him with neurological problems, such as speech, vision, memory loss, severe headaches and severe whiplash to his neck.  

With the injuries he sustained from his accident, life has been extremely difficult in many ways for Matthew the last 17 months.  He suffers with sensitivity to light and sounds and severe headaches lasting for months on end.  Any activity that involves much thought processing or visual stimulation can trigger his symptoms of fatigue, headaches, loss of balance, nausea and requires being in a dark room with ice packs on his head with no noise, sometimes for days or weeks.  

Five hospitals and 15 doctors have overseen his care and 10 different types of brain scans have been performed to diagnose his traumas and internal injuries. 

Matthew’s head is still visually intact with no scars or deformities, but rather he suffers from internal injuries.  He is slowly improving with treatment, exercise, speech, vision and physical therapies.  His vision problems entail difficulty focusing on objects, blurred vision and tracking objects.  He has been treating with a neuro-vision specialist who has prescribed glasses with special lenses and filters.

Speech problems include not being able to put thoughts into complete verbal sentences and short-term memory loss when speaking.

Matthew has been unable to work for over 17 months.  His bank accounts and savings are exhausted.

He is very grateful to be staying with family and is very grateful that some of his medical expenses are covered at this time by Insurance.

The road is daunting requiring much therapy to manage his symptoms and a 24/7 focus on healthy choices for his self care.   It has already been 17 months.

A crucial part of his therapy is to break up his day between vision therapy, speech therapy and physical exercise to manage his symptoms. His physical therapists and doctors want him swimming and exercising at a gym near his home.  The only gym in Ojai with a pool is the Ojai Valley Athletic Club.  The membership is $150 a month and $400 sign-up fee, totaling $2,200 for the year.

Massage is an essential part of his therapy, and not covered by insurance.  It is instrumental in helping him deal with the stress, pain and exhaustion, helping his brain to rest and heal.

His family is lending him an old extra car that he is blessed to have at this time to do short drives.  It is in need of mechanical work, none of which Matthew can perform.

There are costs for transportation, when he is able to drive himself, or needs someone to drive him to and from therapy, doctor appointments and the gym.   There are also costs for his gym membership, nutritional food and supplements, out-of-pocket therapies, personal care items, car insurance, his cellular service.  These alone we estimate add up to at least $20,000 for the upcoming year. 

As you know, Matthew has always been so generous with his time and money helping others.  Before his accident, Matthew was volunteering with children in ALATEEN on a weekly basis, one weekend a month at the University of Santa Monica and volunteering for the Freedom to Choose Project over four weekends per year at three different state prisons. 

Now Matthew needs our support!  Please give what you can, and remember, no amount is too small (or too large).   We will keep all of you updated and we thank you in advance for your support for Matthew!

Please feel free to share this campaign through you email, or social media accounts, with your friends and family, or anyone you think would like to be of support to Matthew at this time :)