2013
Hi everyone. Time flies when you are doing well and having fun! Matthew is doing fantastic. His basketball team, The Raleigh Junior Thunder, won the regional championship this month! Matthew continues to do strive to do well in school and is excited for Spring Break, summer vacation and the upcoming amputee conference in Florida, well actually he's probably more excited about the side trip to Disney World! Also, it’s that time of the year again when people are working in their yards and operating lawn mowers. Please remember to keep children away from operating equipment. Remind your friends and neighbors too! Lawn mower accidents are preventable. Check out our page lawn mower safety on for more information Please help us spread the word!
2012
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Hi everyone. Sorry for the delay in updates, but unfortunately we have had computer meltdown which took some time to recover. Speaking of updates, Matthew has been doing fantastic. With the exception of the year’s first heat rash, he is not missed a beat. His basketball team, The Raleigh Junior Thunder, recently had a strong showing in Atlanta, GA (see picture below). Matthew continues to do well in school and is still the most upbeat kid I have ever met. Also, it’s that time of the year again were we start cutting our grass and doing yard work. Please remember that accidents do happen and can always be prevented by just using common sense and putting safety first. Please do not mow your grass around children and never let a child ride on a lawn mower! Help me spread the word about lawn mower safety by friending us on Facebook, mentioning us on Twitter or just by old fashion word of mouth. Remember, it’s up to all of us to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.
2011
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December 2011
Happy Holidays! Matthew had a wonderful time during the Holidays spending time with friends and family. He also has been walking on his new leg for almost a month.
November 2011
Happy Holidays to all! Matthew is doing great and has been very busy the last few months. He attended and participated in the CAF field day in September, at which he met Kelly Bruno from Survivor! He also went to the State Fair, rode the ghost train in Bonsal and of course trick-or-treated on Halloween. On the school front, Matthew has really improved on his reading and writing, and is still over expectations when it comes to math! As far as the prosthetic front goes, well it’s time for a new leg! Matthew had his leg cast last week and Mr. Eddie is building the socket this week. Matthew is very excited about this leg, since it will feature a different knee which will assist his gate pattern when running! The biggest decision for Matthew is what design to put on the new leg? For that answer, you will have to come back next month to see. This my, friends, is called a cliff hanger…..
August 2011
This update is going to be completely different than the regular one’s I make. This update is going to be the story of tragedy meets triumph. Three years ago to this day, August 1, Matthew was run over by an adult driving a lawn mower. This sentence still looks and feels as unbelievable as it sounds. A small four year old child simply playing in the yard with another child, like most summer days are spent during our childhood. However this summer day would be much different than any other normal summer day. You see, through the complete incompetence of an adult, my son's life was changed forever. Within an instant his leg was gone and so almost was his life. But destiny had a plan for him, from the one in a million odds that an off duty ambulance was cruising through this small coastal town on his way home to answer the call for help, to the fact that the medical rescue airlift unit made record time to the small community hospital to transport him. To the surgeon who had over twenty (unfortunately) child amputee surgeries under his belt. All of these “coincidences” were in place to save Matthew. I ask myself why? Why did he have to lose his leg? For this I have no answer. However, I do know that since that day Matthew has never missed a beat. His smile and his loving spirit have never shined brighter than they do now. He continues to make any impossible situation completely possible. I have never met another person on this planet with the determination that he has. To simply put it, with the exception of the obvious physical difference, you would never know that something this tragic happened to a little four year old boy playing in a yard. This morning when I helped him put on his leg, I just kissed his forehead, knowing that as easy as it would be to be depressed on this day, I am absolutely the happiest man in the world. In the big scheme of things, it’s just a leg. My challenge to everyone reading this is to let everyone you know how dangerous lawn equipment can be, and to please be safe when using it. Also, live and love each day as it’s your last!
June 2011
Wow what a busy two months Matthew has had. He celebrated his 7th birthday, completed first grade and attended the annual amputee conference in Kansas City, Missouri. Matthew celebrated his birthday in fine style by hanging out with his friends and family at his favorite amusement park, Frankie’s! After taking his sister to school on the go-carts, he then rode the water boats, played video games and smashed some softballs in the batting cage. Matthew worked really hard this year on his reading at school. His final report card showed that all of his dedication paid off as he has been promoted to second grade! At the amputee conference Matthew made some new friends and reconnected with some friends from past conferences. The biggest surprise however was when he found out that Uncle Andy and his son Evan drove in from St. Louis to spend some time with him. While hanging out in Kansas City, Matthew attended a Kansas City Royals baseball game, an arena football game and spent a lot of time learning about new products and technology. It is such a positive experience for Matt meet, play and hang out with other amputee children.
April 2011
Matthew is doing very well. He is back in physical therapy to get some new tips about his gait pattern and to learn some new exercise techniques. The therapy is going well, and Matthew really like Ms. Laurie! Matthew continues to improve in his reading and has really taken off in math. He also won the Character Award this month at school. Matthew had an early birthday present waiting on him when he arrived home from school last week, a Woodplay swing set. Matthew and Samantha (and their neighborhood friends) absolutely love it.
February 2011
Hello all! I have some really great news to share. This was the first full month that Matt has worn his new leg, and everything has worked out really well! I would like to give big props to Eddie and his awesome crew at Beacon Prosthetic and Orthotics in Raleigh for building his new leg. Matt’s new leg has the total knee and the top of the line pediatric foot that was donated to him by College Park Industries -Thank You! He is walking more smoothly and is making cuts and turns that he could not do in his old model. The new leg is also a lot easier for Matt to put on. For the design, Matt picked flames and a blue dragon! Matthew continues to do well in school and has the best attitude towards life. He is a constant remind to me that every day that life is short and we have to love the people around us. Thank you everyone who continues to support the cause and who has helped turn a tragedy into a victory! P.S.- His front teeth have all started to grow back in!
January 2011
Happy New Year everyone! The month of December was very busy for Matthew. He is in the midst of having his third prosthetic leg built. It has a brand new “total” knee and the best foot known to pediatrics prosthetic. He was able to test it out last week and after a few more minor changes, he should be ready to hit the ground running by the end of the month. Matthew enjoyed the holidays with family and friends. Matthew also enjoyed the unusual volume of snow that came a few weeks ago. On a side note, Matthew lost all four of his front teeth this month (two top and two bottom). At this rate the tooth fairy is going to have to file Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
Happy Holidays! Matthew had a wonderful time during the Holidays spending time with friends and family. He also has been walking on his new leg for almost a month.
November 2011
Happy Holidays to all! Matthew is doing great and has been very busy the last few months. He attended and participated in the CAF field day in September, at which he met Kelly Bruno from Survivor! He also went to the State Fair, rode the ghost train in Bonsal and of course trick-or-treated on Halloween. On the school front, Matthew has really improved on his reading and writing, and is still over expectations when it comes to math! As far as the prosthetic front goes, well it’s time for a new leg! Matthew had his leg cast last week and Mr. Eddie is building the socket this week. Matthew is very excited about this leg, since it will feature a different knee which will assist his gate pattern when running! The biggest decision for Matthew is what design to put on the new leg? For that answer, you will have to come back next month to see. This my, friends, is called a cliff hanger…..
August 2011
This update is going to be completely different than the regular one’s I make. This update is going to be the story of tragedy meets triumph. Three years ago to this day, August 1, Matthew was run over by an adult driving a lawn mower. This sentence still looks and feels as unbelievable as it sounds. A small four year old child simply playing in the yard with another child, like most summer days are spent during our childhood. However this summer day would be much different than any other normal summer day. You see, through the complete incompetence of an adult, my son's life was changed forever. Within an instant his leg was gone and so almost was his life. But destiny had a plan for him, from the one in a million odds that an off duty ambulance was cruising through this small coastal town on his way home to answer the call for help, to the fact that the medical rescue airlift unit made record time to the small community hospital to transport him. To the surgeon who had over twenty (unfortunately) child amputee surgeries under his belt. All of these “coincidences” were in place to save Matthew. I ask myself why? Why did he have to lose his leg? For this I have no answer. However, I do know that since that day Matthew has never missed a beat. His smile and his loving spirit have never shined brighter than they do now. He continues to make any impossible situation completely possible. I have never met another person on this planet with the determination that he has. To simply put it, with the exception of the obvious physical difference, you would never know that something this tragic happened to a little four year old boy playing in a yard. This morning when I helped him put on his leg, I just kissed his forehead, knowing that as easy as it would be to be depressed on this day, I am absolutely the happiest man in the world. In the big scheme of things, it’s just a leg. My challenge to everyone reading this is to let everyone you know how dangerous lawn equipment can be, and to please be safe when using it. Also, live and love each day as it’s your last!
June 2011
Wow what a busy two months Matthew has had. He celebrated his 7th birthday, completed first grade and attended the annual amputee conference in Kansas City, Missouri. Matthew celebrated his birthday in fine style by hanging out with his friends and family at his favorite amusement park, Frankie’s! After taking his sister to school on the go-carts, he then rode the water boats, played video games and smashed some softballs in the batting cage. Matthew worked really hard this year on his reading at school. His final report card showed that all of his dedication paid off as he has been promoted to second grade! At the amputee conference Matthew made some new friends and reconnected with some friends from past conferences. The biggest surprise however was when he found out that Uncle Andy and his son Evan drove in from St. Louis to spend some time with him. While hanging out in Kansas City, Matthew attended a Kansas City Royals baseball game, an arena football game and spent a lot of time learning about new products and technology. It is such a positive experience for Matt meet, play and hang out with other amputee children.
April 2011
Matthew is doing very well. He is back in physical therapy to get some new tips about his gait pattern and to learn some new exercise techniques. The therapy is going well, and Matthew really like Ms. Laurie! Matthew continues to improve in his reading and has really taken off in math. He also won the Character Award this month at school. Matthew had an early birthday present waiting on him when he arrived home from school last week, a Woodplay swing set. Matthew and Samantha (and their neighborhood friends) absolutely love it.
February 2011
Hello all! I have some really great news to share. This was the first full month that Matt has worn his new leg, and everything has worked out really well! I would like to give big props to Eddie and his awesome crew at Beacon Prosthetic and Orthotics in Raleigh for building his new leg. Matt’s new leg has the total knee and the top of the line pediatric foot that was donated to him by College Park Industries -Thank You! He is walking more smoothly and is making cuts and turns that he could not do in his old model. The new leg is also a lot easier for Matt to put on. For the design, Matt picked flames and a blue dragon! Matthew continues to do well in school and has the best attitude towards life. He is a constant remind to me that every day that life is short and we have to love the people around us. Thank you everyone who continues to support the cause and who has helped turn a tragedy into a victory! P.S.- His front teeth have all started to grow back in!
January 2011
Happy New Year everyone! The month of December was very busy for Matthew. He is in the midst of having his third prosthetic leg built. It has a brand new “total” knee and the best foot known to pediatrics prosthetic. He was able to test it out last week and after a few more minor changes, he should be ready to hit the ground running by the end of the month. Matthew enjoyed the holidays with family and friends. Matthew also enjoyed the unusual volume of snow that came a few weeks ago. On a side note, Matthew lost all four of his front teeth this month (two top and two bottom). At this rate the tooth fairy is going to have to file Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
2010
October
This month was a very exciting month for Matthew. In addition to learning lots of new things in first grade, he visited the fair, carved pumpkins, decorated the house for Halloween and played with friends and family.
September 2010
On September 11 Matthew attend the challenged athletes running clinic in Durham. Check out the video below to see Matthew running the obstacle course.
August 2010
Greetings all! This has been an exciting few weeks for Matthew. First, he attended an Amputee Conference in Irvine, California. Matthew had such a wonderful time. He rode a new concept bicycle, learned to tango, completed a few workshops, watched the AMP 1 basketball team play some hoops and most importantly he made some new friends. We also came away with some really good ideas for his next leg. Another milestone has been reached as Matthew started 1st Grade this month! As far as his leg goes everything is going great.
June 2010
Matthew is doing fantastic. He has been spending his summer break with cookouts, swimming, beach trips and lots of fun at his summer camp. There have been no issues with Matthew’s leg and his routine trips to the prosthesis technician and trauma doctor went well. His attitude is well and he is already getting excited about the amputee conference trip coming in August. Academically, Matthew finished the school year by winning the Most Improved Reader in his class and has been promoted to first grade! I want to thank everyone for his or her continuing support and well wishes. Matthew loves reading all of the wonderful emails and messages that are sent to him.
May 2010
Matthew is doing really well. He continues to learn more and more in schoool. This past month has been quite exciting, Matthew turned 6 years old, had a wonderful birthday party and went to the beach. He is very excited for summer vacation, but says that he will miss his teachers and friends a lot!
April 2010
Earlier this months Matthew’s prosthetic limb starting to “break away” to easy in the knee causing him to fall unexpectedly. Matthew spent most of his spring break with his prosthetic limb off due to some soreness from falling. After a trip to see his prosthetic technician, and a knee replacement everything is back to working order. His soreness went away just in time for a Easter egg hunt on Sunday! Now that Spring is here Matthew is in full swing with the warmer weather. However, the warm weather also makes Matt’s residuial limb sweat more increasing the risk of heat rashing inside the liner. Just this past week Matt missed a day of school due to rashing. The hardest thing as a parent is trying to get your child to tell you something doesn’t feel right when he’s to busy playing. With the exception of these small issues, Matthew’s doing quite well. Matthew continues to smile and is extremely comfortable with talking about the accident.
February 14, 2010
Greetings all and Happy Valentine’s Day! Matthew is doing great in school and learning so much. His first report card was quite impressive. His teacher's are doing such a great job educating him. Outside of school, Matthew has really had fun playing in the snow these last few weeks! After a rocky start, Matthew was able to run through the snow, assist in buidling a snowman and toss a few snowballs around. Afterwards he discovered the yummy delight of hot chocolate loaded with marshmallows.
January 3, 2010
Happy New Years! Matthew is doing great! He’s had no problems with his prosthetic leg or his residual limb. Matthew made his first attempt at becoming a professional ice skater….ok, maybe not a professional ice skater but he did have a blast trying to ice skate at the rink. He completed several laps around the rink. Matthew had a wonderful time during his Christmas break! On Christmas night Matthew and his sister made cookies for Santa and left out carrots for his reindeers. Matthew and his sister must have made the nice list this year because Santa brought them everything on their list. Matthew spent the rest of his holiday break with friends and family.
This month was a very exciting month for Matthew. In addition to learning lots of new things in first grade, he visited the fair, carved pumpkins, decorated the house for Halloween and played with friends and family.
September 2010
On September 11 Matthew attend the challenged athletes running clinic in Durham. Check out the video below to see Matthew running the obstacle course.
August 2010
Greetings all! This has been an exciting few weeks for Matthew. First, he attended an Amputee Conference in Irvine, California. Matthew had such a wonderful time. He rode a new concept bicycle, learned to tango, completed a few workshops, watched the AMP 1 basketball team play some hoops and most importantly he made some new friends. We also came away with some really good ideas for his next leg. Another milestone has been reached as Matthew started 1st Grade this month! As far as his leg goes everything is going great.
June 2010
Matthew is doing fantastic. He has been spending his summer break with cookouts, swimming, beach trips and lots of fun at his summer camp. There have been no issues with Matthew’s leg and his routine trips to the prosthesis technician and trauma doctor went well. His attitude is well and he is already getting excited about the amputee conference trip coming in August. Academically, Matthew finished the school year by winning the Most Improved Reader in his class and has been promoted to first grade! I want to thank everyone for his or her continuing support and well wishes. Matthew loves reading all of the wonderful emails and messages that are sent to him.
May 2010
Matthew is doing really well. He continues to learn more and more in schoool. This past month has been quite exciting, Matthew turned 6 years old, had a wonderful birthday party and went to the beach. He is very excited for summer vacation, but says that he will miss his teachers and friends a lot!
April 2010
Earlier this months Matthew’s prosthetic limb starting to “break away” to easy in the knee causing him to fall unexpectedly. Matthew spent most of his spring break with his prosthetic limb off due to some soreness from falling. After a trip to see his prosthetic technician, and a knee replacement everything is back to working order. His soreness went away just in time for a Easter egg hunt on Sunday! Now that Spring is here Matthew is in full swing with the warmer weather. However, the warm weather also makes Matt’s residuial limb sweat more increasing the risk of heat rashing inside the liner. Just this past week Matt missed a day of school due to rashing. The hardest thing as a parent is trying to get your child to tell you something doesn’t feel right when he’s to busy playing. With the exception of these small issues, Matthew’s doing quite well. Matthew continues to smile and is extremely comfortable with talking about the accident.
February 14, 2010
Greetings all and Happy Valentine’s Day! Matthew is doing great in school and learning so much. His first report card was quite impressive. His teacher's are doing such a great job educating him. Outside of school, Matthew has really had fun playing in the snow these last few weeks! After a rocky start, Matthew was able to run through the snow, assist in buidling a snowman and toss a few snowballs around. Afterwards he discovered the yummy delight of hot chocolate loaded with marshmallows.
January 3, 2010
Happy New Years! Matthew is doing great! He’s had no problems with his prosthetic leg or his residual limb. Matthew made his first attempt at becoming a professional ice skater….ok, maybe not a professional ice skater but he did have a blast trying to ice skate at the rink. He completed several laps around the rink. Matthew had a wonderful time during his Christmas break! On Christmas night Matthew and his sister made cookies for Santa and left out carrots for his reindeers. Matthew and his sister must have made the nice list this year because Santa brought them everything on their list. Matthew spent the rest of his holiday break with friends and family.
2009
November 28, 2009
Happy Holidays! The doctors at Pitt Memorial have been amazing, but we have decided to get a local orthopedic doctor for Matthew. Last week we met with his new orthopedic doctor, Mr. Keith at Raleigh Orthopedic Clinic. Doctor Keith was highly impressed with Matthew’s residual limb and his progression since the accident. He doesn’t see the need for any adjustments at this time for Matthew’s prosthetic limb. In school Matthew seems to be adjusted fully and is working really hard on reading and writing. Since school started Matthew has read over seventy-five books! Matthew is also really excelling at Taekwondo. This past week he learned the “bicycle kick” move. He has now earned a total of five stars for his uniform.
October 25, 2009
Time sure flies by when your child starts Kindergarten. Matthew is now into his second month at school and he seems to be adjusting pretty well. It's a bit of a change in structure for him so some days are harder than others, especially towards the end of the school week. He continues to impress me with how much he is learning each day. He is getting very good at writing and spelling. His sheer desire to learn has grown exponentially since starting school. Matthew and his family visited the state fair this past week. We rode lots of rides, ate lots of fair food and had lots of fun! Check out some of the pictures above.
September 30, 2009
This week at school, Matthew was the student of the week and got to lead the class all week long. This is a very distinguished honor and one of the privileges is that Matthew has share time everyday of the week. After talking it over with Matthew, we decided that for Thursday we would talk about how he lost his leg and how cool his “robot leg” is with his classmates. Never the shy one, Matthew did a fantastic job with being open about the accident and had no problem taking his leg off so his friends could see what his residual limb looked like. They really liked his “robot leg” and were allowed to hold it in their own. I was so impressed with how loving and very understanding his friends were. Matthew made sure all of his friends knew the ends and outs regarding lawn mower safety. At the end of class Matthew gave everyone a “Team Matt” t-shirt. As a sign of support a lot of his classmates came to school the next day with the shirt on! Matthew also received his 25 books read award from school. He is working really hard at learning words and reading. Matthew’s weekend included a trip to his schools carnival, which was a lot of fun until the rain showed up. Matthew continues to do well in Taekwondo as he earned another star for his uniform.
September 16, 2009
Matthew is really enjoying kindergarten. He has learned so much in only two weeks. He still is adjusting to not getting a nap anymore. His teachers say that around 2 pm he is completely bushed and ready to go to sleep. Matthew continues to adjust to his new leg and ankle. He seems to be able to navigate the terrain in the yard and on the sidewalk a lot better. On Labor Day, Matthew's Taekwondo academy hosted a fun filled day at the park, which included playing softball, kickball and lots of good food.
September 1, 2009
Matthew got his new robot leg on Thursday. It has an upgraded foot with a slit between the big toe so now he can wear flip flops and an upgraded ankle that rotates. The casing of the leg has a Transformer pattern made into the housing. This weekend, Matthew made a special trip to the beach, the first time since his accident. Since he has a new leg he was able to use his old leg to gallop across the sand and play in the water. He was really excited to be able to run into the waves. Matthew had a big day on Monday. Matthew started school and received his orange belt in Taw Kwon Do. His first day in kindergarten went really well. He got a little bit tired half way through the day and was ready for a nap, but overall he had fun and made new friends.
August 19, 2009
Matthew is doing great - there have been no issues with his leg the last two weeks. He is enjoying his summer and playing just as hard as any other kid. With kindergarten around the corner, Matthew has really been working hard at with his numbers and letter recognition. He seems to be well on his way academically. Matthew’s second robot leg is also well on its way to being completed. It looks like August 27th will be the day to pick it up. Right before the first day of school! Matthew continues to do well in Taekwondo. Matthew and his sister were both promoted this week to second degree white belts! It looks as if they will be testing next month for their orange belts!
August 4, 2009
I usually don’t blog about my feelings but I am going to today. The last few weeks have proved as a reminder of several things. One thing is how precious life truly is. It has now been just a year and a few days since my son almost lost his life. I spent this last week with him just thinking how fortunate I truly am for him to still be here. Matthew and I have truly been blessed by God, our friends and loved ones. Without you guys we would have never gotten to this point. I also was reminded on how delicate the situation is. You see, Matthew fell at school about two weeks ago, and severely bruised the inside of his groin to the extent that he couldn’t wear his leg for about five days. A bruise kept him from being able to walk, run and play like most other children. Just a bruise. Life as an amputee can be extremely hard and sometimes can be very disheartening, but Matthews’s attitude continues to propel him past these low moments. Yesterday’s meeting with Matthews prosthesis technician went well. We are going to have to use the same concept for the housing though. We were trying to use a newer concept for the housing but he just doesn’t have a long enough residual limb at this point in time. He is however still going to get the upgraded foot, ankle, knee and he gets to pick a new design for the housing. Other than being off of his leg for a week, Matthew had a great time. He is almost ready to graduate to his next belt in Taekwondo, with his sister right behind him. They are so adorable when they scream “highya” during the session. It’s all I can do not to laugh and to look serious. Matthew is also gearing up for kindergarten. He is really excited about going to his “big boy” school. We completed two work books this last weekend and he is really getting good at adding numbers. I’m so proud of the little man.
July 8, 2009
Matthew started the week out a little under the weather but by Wednesday he was ready to roll. He continues to do well at his summer camp. There are a lot of activities for him and the other kids. His walking has never been better and he really can move when he wants to. His consultation with Mr. Shane, his prosthesis tech, went very well as we are going to try some new technology with his next leg. I have requested for the new leg to be built with a multi-axel ankle which would assist him on uneven terrain. I have also asked for a split toe design so he can wear flip flops! There are just so many cool little adjustments that can be made to a prosthetic leg. Matthew continues to do well at Taekwondo as he earned another two tokens. Two more and he will he have his first patch. The July 4th celebration brought on several cook outs, pool trips and a trip to the NC Fairgrounds to watch the firework show. Matthew and his sister just loved the “sky flowers” and had a wonderful time.
June 22, 2009
Matthew had a fantastic week. He started his new summer camp class, had Taekwondo, took his first airplane ride and attended the Annual Conference of the Amputee Coalition of America in Atlanta. Matthew’s summer camp is pretty cool. He gets to go to museums, the movies and other cool places. The adjustment for him is that there are no more naps so he is really bushed by the time I pick him up. Taekwondo is going great. He is really learning how to balance himself on his robot leg and kick with his human leg. The plane trip was a lot of fun. Matthew loves to go to the airport and watch planes take off and land so I knew he would enjoy it. He was so fascinated on how something that big could fly. He loved the window seat and was never scared during both flights. Once in Atlanta, Matthew and I attended the amputee conference. It was such an empowering trip for him. He met dozens of people including many children that had cool robot arms and legs just like him. I have not seen Matthew this comfortable with a group of people since the accident. Matthew won a gold medallion at the children’s field day exercise. He was really excited! The trip was also great for me. Not only was it uplifting to talk to other people who have gone through similiar experiences. It was an extremely educational experience. Later this week we are going to see his prosthetic technician Shane in regards to building a new leg for Matthew- he's grown so much. I have tons of ideas and after seeing firsthand how several new devices work, I have a picture of what I would like to see happen to his new robot leg. Check out the video of Matthew at the ACA Conference.
June 10, 2009
Matthew had a wonderful week! First off, his ability to walk long distances has greatly improved. He is even getting faster with galloping and skipping. Matthew worked on his stretching here at home but really worked on strength and balance at his Taekwondo class. Matthew met his instructors and participated in two classes this past week. I was so proud of him when he was able to complete the task assigned to him by the instructor to obtain his White Belt!!! Matthew’s spirits are really high and his confidence seems to flow at class. Matthew spent the rest of the weekend hitting baseballs and playing Frisbee. Matthew also did great in school all week and finished up today by graduating from his pre-school. They had a nice celebration at the park and Matthew did very well performing with his classmates. They sung several songs and had a picnic afterwards. He is such a big boy!
May 28, 2009
Matthew had a very exciting and busy week. Matthew visited the Morehead Planetarium and the Durham Museum of Life and Science. The museum was a lot of fun. They have bears, wolves, lemurs, and butterflies. They also have a giant pool where you can race sailboats around and around. Matthew was able to walk the entire outdoor track which is over a mile long when completed. I was extremely proud of his ability to answer questions about his robot leg. There were multiple school groups there and about every three minutes someone was running up at him pointing and talking. Never being the shy one, Matthew answered the same questions over and over and never stopped smiling. He has so much fortitude for only being five years old. This past weekend Matthew and his sister Samantha made their first trip to the mountains of West Virginia. It was the first time they had seen mountains or rode through a mountain tunnel. They both loved the mountain scenery but I believe the tunnels were more impressive to them! However the thing Matthew raved about the most was the underground coal mine train ride! Overall, Matthew had a fantastic time and did great running around and playing with the other kids.
May 22, 2009
Well good news everyone! Matthews’s doctor’s appointment went way better than expected. After an x-ray and an ultra sound, both of his doctor’s think that the lump is Bursitis. What is bursitis you may ask? Well it is an irritation of the bursa. A bursa is a sac filled with lubricating fluid, located between tissues such as bone, muscle, tendons, and skin, that decreases rubbing, friction, and irritation. When Matthew’s leg was amputated the surgeons had to tie off the tendons and muscle that normally run down the leg and connects to the knee area. Since Matt’s knee is gone they had to lump a lot of tendons around the tip of his bone. When Matthew wears his prosthesis, all of his weight transfer is located at the tip of the bone which is causing the bursitis. Matthew could take an inflammatory medication to combat the pain when it swells but were thinking that it might be time for a different type of prosthetic. He needs a new prosthetic with extra cushion built in to the socket area that would absorb this impact better. Looks like a trip to Mr. Shane’s for a new leg is in order! Thank you everyone for all of your well wishes and prayers this past week!
May 13, 2009
Matthew had a good week overall but a trip to the doctor’s office didn’t reveal the best of news. Matthew worked on stretching his little, and strengthening his big leg. Matthew did really good walking around the neighborhood and chasing his sister and I while playing hide and go seek. Matthew continues to improve in school. During one of the rain days this past week, Matthew completed the last twenty pages in his Brain Quest workbook. He was so excited and had to show everyone that visited his accomplishment. However on Sunday I noticed Matthews little cyst had flared back up on the back of his little leg. The decision was made to take him to Greenville on Tuesday back to see his trauma doctor. Dr. Crowl believes that the cyst needs to be removed and referred us to a new doctor in Chapel Hill. The appt is next Thursday. Best case scenario is it can be controlled by meds, worse case they will need to cut it out which would put the little man out of service for awhile. On the bright side, Dr. Crowl felt pretty confident that it wasn’t a bone spur which requires much more intrusive surgery. Please pray for Matthew’s situation and keep your fingers crossed!
April 27, 2009
Matthew had a fantastic week! Everything physically is looking good and he continues to have no issues with his little leg. His stretching and agility have both increased and he is really getting good at skipping. It’s hard to believe that my boy turns the big 5 on the 30th. To celebrate this we took him to a Carolina Mudcat’s game on Friday. Matthew really enjoyed the game and the fireworks show. Sunday we threw Matthew a B-Day party and took him to Frankie’s Fun Park. This was extremely exciting for me since the last time he went to Frankie’s, he took his first steps on his prosthetic leg. It was amazing to see how far he’s come in six months. Matthew loves the batting cage and really loves riding on the go-carts. He had a wonderful time and was so tired that he could hardly stay awake for the ride home. Matthew wanted to thank you for the awesome emails this week. I wish I was able to put into words how it makes him feel inside when I read them to him. He just smiles and smiles.
April 15, 2009
Matthew had his first run in with the cold bug this year. A runny nose, cough and fever still couldn’t keep him from smiling and laughing. Matthew continues to work at home on his stretching and his leg strengthening exercises. Matthew also received his two arm crutches from his therapist last week. He picked up the movement pretty fast and seemed to have no problem navigating them around the room. These will be useful for him when he goes to the beach or is getting in and out of the shower. Even though he was sick Matthew stayed extremely busy. Friday, Matthew and his sister dressed like pirates and went to the pirate exhibit at the History museum. They learned about pirates and got to play pirates on a big ship inside the museum. For Easter, Matthew dyed Easter eggs with friends and family and had an Easter egg hunt. On Easter morning, Matthew was surprised to see that the Easter bunny had eaten all of the carrots left for him and a basket full of candy.
April 1, 2009
Matthew had a fabulous week. He continues to do well with his home re-hab. Matthew completed the one mile walk around the neighborhood twice this week. He did it all by himself with no help either time. He is getting faster and more proficient with his walking. Matthew also worked on balancing, stretching and core muscle exercises. His arms and shoulders are so broad that he reminds me of a little pop-eye. Matthew also continues to do well in school. I am so proud of his achievements and his upbeat attitude.
Wednesday 03-17-2009
Matthew had a great time showing those rain clouds that they couldn’t spoil his week. Since outside activity was mostly limited this week, Matthew decided to make the most of his days by water painting, coloring, playing games and working on his stretching for his little leg. He is still mastering the art of staying between the lines when painting. Matthew also spent some time shopping and bought a really cool Ben 10 Alien force watch that lights up. He really enjoys this at night when he can “project” the shapes of the watch on the bedroom walls. Saturday, Matthew spent the night with Papa Dean and Grandma. There he learned about the lunar cycle with this really cool “wall moon” that goes through all the lunar cycles. Matthew continues to do really good at school and is getting pretty good at writing his name. Matthew made sure to wear green today, as we didn’t want any unexpected pinched coming his way at school. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Wednesday 03-11-2009
Matthew had a great week. Saturday was his big day for showing off his dance moves at the recital. He had a fantastic time and did a wonderful job. He looked too cool with his “Elton John” glasses on during one of the songs. Monday was Matthew’s last re-hab for six weeks. He spent most the session in the pool doing leg strengthening activities. Ms. Anna let him turn the current up to 75 as he did body pull ups holding unto the beams while pushing against the current. His upper body has gotten extremely strong since he lost his leg. We still got a ways to go with the swimming aspect of it though. I imagine it is difficult to swim with one leg. As far as school work goes, Matthew is writing his name every night and is working on word recognition. We also worked on when to call 911 and what to do when a smoke alarm goes off. On a side note thank you everyone for the wonderful ideas for upcoming events for the foundation and for the wonderful support emails.
Wednesday 03-04-2009
Matthew had a fabulous week! Thursday night Matthew attempted to walk the mile loop around our neighborhood. He did so well finally giving out 100 yards from the house. I was so impressed and proud of him. At re-hab he went .35 miles on the treadmill running the majority of the time. Matthew also started a new challenge, the 50 foot dash. His best time so far is 11 seconds. The therapists are also concentrating on Matthew’s ability to balance on one leg at a time. Matthew continues to work hard on his number recognition, 6 and 9 still trip him up but I know he will get the hang of it shortly. Matthew has mastered every jigsaw puzzle I own at this point so it looks like I know what the Easter Bunny is going to bring him. Monday brought a bit of a surprise, SNOW!!!!! Matthew and his sister had so much fun. They built a small snow man, had a snow ball war and chased Lola around the back yard! Matthew had no problem at all navigating his robot leg through the snow.
Wednesday 02-25-2009
Other than being sick with a cold, Matthew had a great week. He continued to work on jumping, side stepping and galloping at re-hab. He has gotten really good at writing his name and knowing how to spell it. I have also been working with him on learning his address, phone numbers, and 911. On Monday Matthew went to Greenville to visit Mr. Shane so he could inspect his robot leg. Mr. Shane gave us a clean bill of health and said that Matthew was doing phenomenal. I forgot last week to tell you all thanks for the awesome Valentine’s Day emails. Matthew really enjoyed them.
Wednesday 02-18-2009
Matthew had an incredible week! In rehab Matthew continued to push full steam ahead. He worked on running, climbing stairs and walking on unleveled terrains. We hid easter eggs outside of the rehab location and encouraged him to race us to the eggs when he found them. He had so much fun and laughed so hard. On Thursday, Matthew and daddy had a boys night out. We dropped off Valentines Day’s gifts to some of daddy’s friends, ate pizza and watched a movie. On Friday, Matthew’s class had a Valentines Day party, which was really cool. He exchanged gifts and ate a lot of cupcakes and other sweets. It pleases me so much to see how caring and giving he is. If he’s got one piece of candy he will try his best to break it into as many pieces as possible to share with his friends. At dance class, Matthew had a great time. There was a young lady who came in and played the bongo drums for the class to dance too. He really enjoyed the rhythm and sound of that drum. Matthew spent the rest of his weekend hanging out with family and friends.
Wednesday 02-11-2009
Matthew had a great week. He is really getting good at walking up inclines and long distances. This week he played kick ball with his therapist and worked on long distance galloping and bike peddling. He is up to 3.6 miles per hour on the treadmill! Matthew continues to make giant strides in rehabilitation. Matthew also enrolled in Kindergarten this week. August will be here before you know it!
Wednesday 02-04-2009
Wow! This has been a great week for Matthew. He started his new dance class Saturday and after being a little shy he really got into it. They worked on bending over and making huge circles with your arms. Matthew really enjoyed doing the limbo and playing with the multi-colored parachute. At therapy Matthew continues to improve. Yesterday he walked up and down three flights of stairs without holding the railings. This is a huge step forward since it’s pretty hard to balance yourself without being able to sense both feet impacting the ground. Matthew also took his running into overdrive clocking in at 3.4 mphs! I am so proud of his improvement and his hard nose attitude. At Mrs. Dee’s Super Bowl party Matthew worked on going up and down the rear stairs. After all he had to make room for all of that great food! Uncle Mark has asked Matthew to come by the station for some cool fireman stuff. Matthew really loves fire trucks and who knows maybe one day that will be him saving someone’s life! Matthew continues to improve on recognizing numbers, letters and writing his name. He really loves board games (Candyland and Chutes and Ladders). He has gotten so good at the puzzles that I am buying age 6+ for him to do. Matthew also wanted to say thanks to everyone for the awesome emails of encouragement and to continue to pray for him!
Tuesday 01-27-2009
The last week was very exciting for Matthew. He made giant strides in running. He is up to three miles an hour on the treadmill and is interval training for around one third of a mile. Now I know he’s no Carl Lewis, but three miles an hour is moving for someone who just learned to walk again a few months ago. Matthew is also learning how to gallop at re-hab. He seems to be close to mastering it. Matthew got a pleasant surprise this week when he got to play in the first snow of the year with his little sister.
Wednesday 01-21-2009
Matthew had a great week. He had two very productive rehabilitation sessions, he worked on running, climbing and side to side movements. Matthew's overall coordination is getting so much better, he is able to correct his balance without falling down. Matthew also had a great time at both Hooter's locations. Much thanks to Blair, Matt, and Paul for hosting the Matthew Baldwin Foundation Fundraiser this past weekend. Matthew continues to do really well in daycare, he is back to full time status. At home we continue to work on letter and number recognition in preparation for kindergarten next year.
Wednesday 01-14-2009
Sorry for the delay on updating A Hero's Journey, as you can see we have been converting to the official Matthew Baldwin Foundation webpage! Welcome! Matthew has been doing fantastic since his adjustment. He continues to attend physical therapy at least twice a week. His therapist's Nazaly and Anna are very encouraged by his ongoing progress and positive attitude and drive to succeed. Matthew will be attending a progressive dance class offered by Raleigh Neurology at the end of this month. Matthew and his sister Samantha love to dance, so I am very excited to see Matthew showing off his moves with the other children. Matthew will also be participating on the t-ball team with the Miracle League of the Triangle this spring!
Monday 01-05-2009
Well it would seem that a change will do you good! Today Matthews’s leg replacement part was installed and man could you tell a huge difference in his gate pattern. No more gangster lean! Overall he had a fabulous day and is doing great. Thank you everyone for the continuous emails and messages to Matt. He just lights up when I read them to him.
Sunday 01-04-2009
Matthew has been doing well. His leg is rash free and tomorrow we are off to get his replacement part for his leg. Matthew continues to impress everyone with his attitude and his smile. He has spent the last few days working on writing his numbers, putting together puzzles and enjoying his Christmas presents. He just loves the positive accolades that he receives when he puts a puzzle together or completes a learning workbook.
Happy Holidays! The doctors at Pitt Memorial have been amazing, but we have decided to get a local orthopedic doctor for Matthew. Last week we met with his new orthopedic doctor, Mr. Keith at Raleigh Orthopedic Clinic. Doctor Keith was highly impressed with Matthew’s residual limb and his progression since the accident. He doesn’t see the need for any adjustments at this time for Matthew’s prosthetic limb. In school Matthew seems to be adjusted fully and is working really hard on reading and writing. Since school started Matthew has read over seventy-five books! Matthew is also really excelling at Taekwondo. This past week he learned the “bicycle kick” move. He has now earned a total of five stars for his uniform.
October 25, 2009
Time sure flies by when your child starts Kindergarten. Matthew is now into his second month at school and he seems to be adjusting pretty well. It's a bit of a change in structure for him so some days are harder than others, especially towards the end of the school week. He continues to impress me with how much he is learning each day. He is getting very good at writing and spelling. His sheer desire to learn has grown exponentially since starting school. Matthew and his family visited the state fair this past week. We rode lots of rides, ate lots of fair food and had lots of fun! Check out some of the pictures above.
September 30, 2009
This week at school, Matthew was the student of the week and got to lead the class all week long. This is a very distinguished honor and one of the privileges is that Matthew has share time everyday of the week. After talking it over with Matthew, we decided that for Thursday we would talk about how he lost his leg and how cool his “robot leg” is with his classmates. Never the shy one, Matthew did a fantastic job with being open about the accident and had no problem taking his leg off so his friends could see what his residual limb looked like. They really liked his “robot leg” and were allowed to hold it in their own. I was so impressed with how loving and very understanding his friends were. Matthew made sure all of his friends knew the ends and outs regarding lawn mower safety. At the end of class Matthew gave everyone a “Team Matt” t-shirt. As a sign of support a lot of his classmates came to school the next day with the shirt on! Matthew also received his 25 books read award from school. He is working really hard at learning words and reading. Matthew’s weekend included a trip to his schools carnival, which was a lot of fun until the rain showed up. Matthew continues to do well in Taekwondo as he earned another star for his uniform.
September 16, 2009
Matthew is really enjoying kindergarten. He has learned so much in only two weeks. He still is adjusting to not getting a nap anymore. His teachers say that around 2 pm he is completely bushed and ready to go to sleep. Matthew continues to adjust to his new leg and ankle. He seems to be able to navigate the terrain in the yard and on the sidewalk a lot better. On Labor Day, Matthew's Taekwondo academy hosted a fun filled day at the park, which included playing softball, kickball and lots of good food.
September 1, 2009
Matthew got his new robot leg on Thursday. It has an upgraded foot with a slit between the big toe so now he can wear flip flops and an upgraded ankle that rotates. The casing of the leg has a Transformer pattern made into the housing. This weekend, Matthew made a special trip to the beach, the first time since his accident. Since he has a new leg he was able to use his old leg to gallop across the sand and play in the water. He was really excited to be able to run into the waves. Matthew had a big day on Monday. Matthew started school and received his orange belt in Taw Kwon Do. His first day in kindergarten went really well. He got a little bit tired half way through the day and was ready for a nap, but overall he had fun and made new friends.
August 19, 2009
Matthew is doing great - there have been no issues with his leg the last two weeks. He is enjoying his summer and playing just as hard as any other kid. With kindergarten around the corner, Matthew has really been working hard at with his numbers and letter recognition. He seems to be well on his way academically. Matthew’s second robot leg is also well on its way to being completed. It looks like August 27th will be the day to pick it up. Right before the first day of school! Matthew continues to do well in Taekwondo. Matthew and his sister were both promoted this week to second degree white belts! It looks as if they will be testing next month for their orange belts!
August 4, 2009
I usually don’t blog about my feelings but I am going to today. The last few weeks have proved as a reminder of several things. One thing is how precious life truly is. It has now been just a year and a few days since my son almost lost his life. I spent this last week with him just thinking how fortunate I truly am for him to still be here. Matthew and I have truly been blessed by God, our friends and loved ones. Without you guys we would have never gotten to this point. I also was reminded on how delicate the situation is. You see, Matthew fell at school about two weeks ago, and severely bruised the inside of his groin to the extent that he couldn’t wear his leg for about five days. A bruise kept him from being able to walk, run and play like most other children. Just a bruise. Life as an amputee can be extremely hard and sometimes can be very disheartening, but Matthews’s attitude continues to propel him past these low moments. Yesterday’s meeting with Matthews prosthesis technician went well. We are going to have to use the same concept for the housing though. We were trying to use a newer concept for the housing but he just doesn’t have a long enough residual limb at this point in time. He is however still going to get the upgraded foot, ankle, knee and he gets to pick a new design for the housing. Other than being off of his leg for a week, Matthew had a great time. He is almost ready to graduate to his next belt in Taekwondo, with his sister right behind him. They are so adorable when they scream “highya” during the session. It’s all I can do not to laugh and to look serious. Matthew is also gearing up for kindergarten. He is really excited about going to his “big boy” school. We completed two work books this last weekend and he is really getting good at adding numbers. I’m so proud of the little man.
July 8, 2009
Matthew started the week out a little under the weather but by Wednesday he was ready to roll. He continues to do well at his summer camp. There are a lot of activities for him and the other kids. His walking has never been better and he really can move when he wants to. His consultation with Mr. Shane, his prosthesis tech, went very well as we are going to try some new technology with his next leg. I have requested for the new leg to be built with a multi-axel ankle which would assist him on uneven terrain. I have also asked for a split toe design so he can wear flip flops! There are just so many cool little adjustments that can be made to a prosthetic leg. Matthew continues to do well at Taekwondo as he earned another two tokens. Two more and he will he have his first patch. The July 4th celebration brought on several cook outs, pool trips and a trip to the NC Fairgrounds to watch the firework show. Matthew and his sister just loved the “sky flowers” and had a wonderful time.
June 22, 2009
Matthew had a fantastic week. He started his new summer camp class, had Taekwondo, took his first airplane ride and attended the Annual Conference of the Amputee Coalition of America in Atlanta. Matthew’s summer camp is pretty cool. He gets to go to museums, the movies and other cool places. The adjustment for him is that there are no more naps so he is really bushed by the time I pick him up. Taekwondo is going great. He is really learning how to balance himself on his robot leg and kick with his human leg. The plane trip was a lot of fun. Matthew loves to go to the airport and watch planes take off and land so I knew he would enjoy it. He was so fascinated on how something that big could fly. He loved the window seat and was never scared during both flights. Once in Atlanta, Matthew and I attended the amputee conference. It was such an empowering trip for him. He met dozens of people including many children that had cool robot arms and legs just like him. I have not seen Matthew this comfortable with a group of people since the accident. Matthew won a gold medallion at the children’s field day exercise. He was really excited! The trip was also great for me. Not only was it uplifting to talk to other people who have gone through similiar experiences. It was an extremely educational experience. Later this week we are going to see his prosthetic technician Shane in regards to building a new leg for Matthew- he's grown so much. I have tons of ideas and after seeing firsthand how several new devices work, I have a picture of what I would like to see happen to his new robot leg. Check out the video of Matthew at the ACA Conference.
June 10, 2009
Matthew had a wonderful week! First off, his ability to walk long distances has greatly improved. He is even getting faster with galloping and skipping. Matthew worked on his stretching here at home but really worked on strength and balance at his Taekwondo class. Matthew met his instructors and participated in two classes this past week. I was so proud of him when he was able to complete the task assigned to him by the instructor to obtain his White Belt!!! Matthew’s spirits are really high and his confidence seems to flow at class. Matthew spent the rest of the weekend hitting baseballs and playing Frisbee. Matthew also did great in school all week and finished up today by graduating from his pre-school. They had a nice celebration at the park and Matthew did very well performing with his classmates. They sung several songs and had a picnic afterwards. He is such a big boy!
May 28, 2009
Matthew had a very exciting and busy week. Matthew visited the Morehead Planetarium and the Durham Museum of Life and Science. The museum was a lot of fun. They have bears, wolves, lemurs, and butterflies. They also have a giant pool where you can race sailboats around and around. Matthew was able to walk the entire outdoor track which is over a mile long when completed. I was extremely proud of his ability to answer questions about his robot leg. There were multiple school groups there and about every three minutes someone was running up at him pointing and talking. Never being the shy one, Matthew answered the same questions over and over and never stopped smiling. He has so much fortitude for only being five years old. This past weekend Matthew and his sister Samantha made their first trip to the mountains of West Virginia. It was the first time they had seen mountains or rode through a mountain tunnel. They both loved the mountain scenery but I believe the tunnels were more impressive to them! However the thing Matthew raved about the most was the underground coal mine train ride! Overall, Matthew had a fantastic time and did great running around and playing with the other kids.
May 22, 2009
Well good news everyone! Matthews’s doctor’s appointment went way better than expected. After an x-ray and an ultra sound, both of his doctor’s think that the lump is Bursitis. What is bursitis you may ask? Well it is an irritation of the bursa. A bursa is a sac filled with lubricating fluid, located between tissues such as bone, muscle, tendons, and skin, that decreases rubbing, friction, and irritation. When Matthew’s leg was amputated the surgeons had to tie off the tendons and muscle that normally run down the leg and connects to the knee area. Since Matt’s knee is gone they had to lump a lot of tendons around the tip of his bone. When Matthew wears his prosthesis, all of his weight transfer is located at the tip of the bone which is causing the bursitis. Matthew could take an inflammatory medication to combat the pain when it swells but were thinking that it might be time for a different type of prosthetic. He needs a new prosthetic with extra cushion built in to the socket area that would absorb this impact better. Looks like a trip to Mr. Shane’s for a new leg is in order! Thank you everyone for all of your well wishes and prayers this past week!
May 13, 2009
Matthew had a good week overall but a trip to the doctor’s office didn’t reveal the best of news. Matthew worked on stretching his little, and strengthening his big leg. Matthew did really good walking around the neighborhood and chasing his sister and I while playing hide and go seek. Matthew continues to improve in school. During one of the rain days this past week, Matthew completed the last twenty pages in his Brain Quest workbook. He was so excited and had to show everyone that visited his accomplishment. However on Sunday I noticed Matthews little cyst had flared back up on the back of his little leg. The decision was made to take him to Greenville on Tuesday back to see his trauma doctor. Dr. Crowl believes that the cyst needs to be removed and referred us to a new doctor in Chapel Hill. The appt is next Thursday. Best case scenario is it can be controlled by meds, worse case they will need to cut it out which would put the little man out of service for awhile. On the bright side, Dr. Crowl felt pretty confident that it wasn’t a bone spur which requires much more intrusive surgery. Please pray for Matthew’s situation and keep your fingers crossed!
April 27, 2009
Matthew had a fantastic week! Everything physically is looking good and he continues to have no issues with his little leg. His stretching and agility have both increased and he is really getting good at skipping. It’s hard to believe that my boy turns the big 5 on the 30th. To celebrate this we took him to a Carolina Mudcat’s game on Friday. Matthew really enjoyed the game and the fireworks show. Sunday we threw Matthew a B-Day party and took him to Frankie’s Fun Park. This was extremely exciting for me since the last time he went to Frankie’s, he took his first steps on his prosthetic leg. It was amazing to see how far he’s come in six months. Matthew loves the batting cage and really loves riding on the go-carts. He had a wonderful time and was so tired that he could hardly stay awake for the ride home. Matthew wanted to thank you for the awesome emails this week. I wish I was able to put into words how it makes him feel inside when I read them to him. He just smiles and smiles.
April 15, 2009
Matthew had his first run in with the cold bug this year. A runny nose, cough and fever still couldn’t keep him from smiling and laughing. Matthew continues to work at home on his stretching and his leg strengthening exercises. Matthew also received his two arm crutches from his therapist last week. He picked up the movement pretty fast and seemed to have no problem navigating them around the room. These will be useful for him when he goes to the beach or is getting in and out of the shower. Even though he was sick Matthew stayed extremely busy. Friday, Matthew and his sister dressed like pirates and went to the pirate exhibit at the History museum. They learned about pirates and got to play pirates on a big ship inside the museum. For Easter, Matthew dyed Easter eggs with friends and family and had an Easter egg hunt. On Easter morning, Matthew was surprised to see that the Easter bunny had eaten all of the carrots left for him and a basket full of candy.
April 1, 2009
Matthew had a fabulous week. He continues to do well with his home re-hab. Matthew completed the one mile walk around the neighborhood twice this week. He did it all by himself with no help either time. He is getting faster and more proficient with his walking. Matthew also worked on balancing, stretching and core muscle exercises. His arms and shoulders are so broad that he reminds me of a little pop-eye. Matthew also continues to do well in school. I am so proud of his achievements and his upbeat attitude.
Wednesday 03-17-2009
Matthew had a great time showing those rain clouds that they couldn’t spoil his week. Since outside activity was mostly limited this week, Matthew decided to make the most of his days by water painting, coloring, playing games and working on his stretching for his little leg. He is still mastering the art of staying between the lines when painting. Matthew also spent some time shopping and bought a really cool Ben 10 Alien force watch that lights up. He really enjoys this at night when he can “project” the shapes of the watch on the bedroom walls. Saturday, Matthew spent the night with Papa Dean and Grandma. There he learned about the lunar cycle with this really cool “wall moon” that goes through all the lunar cycles. Matthew continues to do really good at school and is getting pretty good at writing his name. Matthew made sure to wear green today, as we didn’t want any unexpected pinched coming his way at school. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Wednesday 03-11-2009
Matthew had a great week. Saturday was his big day for showing off his dance moves at the recital. He had a fantastic time and did a wonderful job. He looked too cool with his “Elton John” glasses on during one of the songs. Monday was Matthew’s last re-hab for six weeks. He spent most the session in the pool doing leg strengthening activities. Ms. Anna let him turn the current up to 75 as he did body pull ups holding unto the beams while pushing against the current. His upper body has gotten extremely strong since he lost his leg. We still got a ways to go with the swimming aspect of it though. I imagine it is difficult to swim with one leg. As far as school work goes, Matthew is writing his name every night and is working on word recognition. We also worked on when to call 911 and what to do when a smoke alarm goes off. On a side note thank you everyone for the wonderful ideas for upcoming events for the foundation and for the wonderful support emails.
Wednesday 03-04-2009
Matthew had a fabulous week! Thursday night Matthew attempted to walk the mile loop around our neighborhood. He did so well finally giving out 100 yards from the house. I was so impressed and proud of him. At re-hab he went .35 miles on the treadmill running the majority of the time. Matthew also started a new challenge, the 50 foot dash. His best time so far is 11 seconds. The therapists are also concentrating on Matthew’s ability to balance on one leg at a time. Matthew continues to work hard on his number recognition, 6 and 9 still trip him up but I know he will get the hang of it shortly. Matthew has mastered every jigsaw puzzle I own at this point so it looks like I know what the Easter Bunny is going to bring him. Monday brought a bit of a surprise, SNOW!!!!! Matthew and his sister had so much fun. They built a small snow man, had a snow ball war and chased Lola around the back yard! Matthew had no problem at all navigating his robot leg through the snow.
Wednesday 02-25-2009
Other than being sick with a cold, Matthew had a great week. He continued to work on jumping, side stepping and galloping at re-hab. He has gotten really good at writing his name and knowing how to spell it. I have also been working with him on learning his address, phone numbers, and 911. On Monday Matthew went to Greenville to visit Mr. Shane so he could inspect his robot leg. Mr. Shane gave us a clean bill of health and said that Matthew was doing phenomenal. I forgot last week to tell you all thanks for the awesome Valentine’s Day emails. Matthew really enjoyed them.
Wednesday 02-18-2009
Matthew had an incredible week! In rehab Matthew continued to push full steam ahead. He worked on running, climbing stairs and walking on unleveled terrains. We hid easter eggs outside of the rehab location and encouraged him to race us to the eggs when he found them. He had so much fun and laughed so hard. On Thursday, Matthew and daddy had a boys night out. We dropped off Valentines Day’s gifts to some of daddy’s friends, ate pizza and watched a movie. On Friday, Matthew’s class had a Valentines Day party, which was really cool. He exchanged gifts and ate a lot of cupcakes and other sweets. It pleases me so much to see how caring and giving he is. If he’s got one piece of candy he will try his best to break it into as many pieces as possible to share with his friends. At dance class, Matthew had a great time. There was a young lady who came in and played the bongo drums for the class to dance too. He really enjoyed the rhythm and sound of that drum. Matthew spent the rest of his weekend hanging out with family and friends.
Wednesday 02-11-2009
Matthew had a great week. He is really getting good at walking up inclines and long distances. This week he played kick ball with his therapist and worked on long distance galloping and bike peddling. He is up to 3.6 miles per hour on the treadmill! Matthew continues to make giant strides in rehabilitation. Matthew also enrolled in Kindergarten this week. August will be here before you know it!
Wednesday 02-04-2009
Wow! This has been a great week for Matthew. He started his new dance class Saturday and after being a little shy he really got into it. They worked on bending over and making huge circles with your arms. Matthew really enjoyed doing the limbo and playing with the multi-colored parachute. At therapy Matthew continues to improve. Yesterday he walked up and down three flights of stairs without holding the railings. This is a huge step forward since it’s pretty hard to balance yourself without being able to sense both feet impacting the ground. Matthew also took his running into overdrive clocking in at 3.4 mphs! I am so proud of his improvement and his hard nose attitude. At Mrs. Dee’s Super Bowl party Matthew worked on going up and down the rear stairs. After all he had to make room for all of that great food! Uncle Mark has asked Matthew to come by the station for some cool fireman stuff. Matthew really loves fire trucks and who knows maybe one day that will be him saving someone’s life! Matthew continues to improve on recognizing numbers, letters and writing his name. He really loves board games (Candyland and Chutes and Ladders). He has gotten so good at the puzzles that I am buying age 6+ for him to do. Matthew also wanted to say thanks to everyone for the awesome emails of encouragement and to continue to pray for him!
Tuesday 01-27-2009
The last week was very exciting for Matthew. He made giant strides in running. He is up to three miles an hour on the treadmill and is interval training for around one third of a mile. Now I know he’s no Carl Lewis, but three miles an hour is moving for someone who just learned to walk again a few months ago. Matthew is also learning how to gallop at re-hab. He seems to be close to mastering it. Matthew got a pleasant surprise this week when he got to play in the first snow of the year with his little sister.
Wednesday 01-21-2009
Matthew had a great week. He had two very productive rehabilitation sessions, he worked on running, climbing and side to side movements. Matthew's overall coordination is getting so much better, he is able to correct his balance without falling down. Matthew also had a great time at both Hooter's locations. Much thanks to Blair, Matt, and Paul for hosting the Matthew Baldwin Foundation Fundraiser this past weekend. Matthew continues to do really well in daycare, he is back to full time status. At home we continue to work on letter and number recognition in preparation for kindergarten next year.
Wednesday 01-14-2009
Sorry for the delay on updating A Hero's Journey, as you can see we have been converting to the official Matthew Baldwin Foundation webpage! Welcome! Matthew has been doing fantastic since his adjustment. He continues to attend physical therapy at least twice a week. His therapist's Nazaly and Anna are very encouraged by his ongoing progress and positive attitude and drive to succeed. Matthew will be attending a progressive dance class offered by Raleigh Neurology at the end of this month. Matthew and his sister Samantha love to dance, so I am very excited to see Matthew showing off his moves with the other children. Matthew will also be participating on the t-ball team with the Miracle League of the Triangle this spring!
Monday 01-05-2009
Well it would seem that a change will do you good! Today Matthews’s leg replacement part was installed and man could you tell a huge difference in his gate pattern. No more gangster lean! Overall he had a fabulous day and is doing great. Thank you everyone for the continuous emails and messages to Matt. He just lights up when I read them to him.
Sunday 01-04-2009
Matthew has been doing well. His leg is rash free and tomorrow we are off to get his replacement part for his leg. Matthew continues to impress everyone with his attitude and his smile. He has spent the last few days working on writing his numbers, putting together puzzles and enjoying his Christmas presents. He just loves the positive accolades that he receives when he puts a puzzle together or completes a learning workbook.
December 2008
Tuesday 12-30-2008
Today Matthew went to see Dr. Crowl and his prosthetic technician, Mr. Shane. Apparently Matthew has already grown about an inch and is already in need of a new stem for his robot leg. Mr. Shane has also ordered some new sockets for his leg to hopefully do away with that reoccurring rash. Matthew did great at re-hab today as most of it was spent outside going up and down hills and stepping up stairs.
Friday 12-26-2008
Matthew had a fantastic day! His rash on his leg has really cleared up. Today Matthew worked on stretching and doing one leg dips. He spent the rest of his time enjoying his Christmas presents.
Thursday 12-25-2008
Christmas day is finally here as Santa made his rounds last night. Matthew was so excited all day long. After opening his presents he ate a breakfast style brunch with Papa Dean, Grandma, Aunt Mandy and Mr. Aaron. It was really yummy! Matthew and his sister played and played until they were so tired they wanted nap time on their own! After waking up off we headed to Ms. Dee's house for some more yummy food and present openings. Ms. Casey's little baby Morgan just loves spending time with Matt and Sam. It is so awesome to watch Matthew be so gentle when playing with her. After a full day of excitement Matthew had no problem falling asleep once his head hit the pillow. We were extremely fortunate this year as there were plenty of presents, thanks to many people and most importantly Matthew. I could not help but think to myself what would it have been like if God would have called my little boy home on August 1st. It sure puts a different spin on what’s important during this time of the year such as family, friends and loving them as hard as you can because you just never know if it will be the last time you see them.
Tuesday 12-23-2008
Two more days till Christmas! Matthew is really getting excited. I hung up both of "Santa's Keys" on the front door today. I have told Matthew that Santa can either come down the chimney or use his "secret key" to come in a deliver the presents. Today at rehab Matthew took it easy and worked on core strength without his leg on due to the rash. I sure hope we can get this rash under control so he won't lose momentum!
Monday 12-22-2008
Matthew and his little sister are out of school this week, so Matthew started the day off with spending time with Grandma Doris. Matthew said they had loads of fun and really liked the automatic Christmas tree which goes up and down. Later in the day Matthew went to physical therapy and did very well. His leg still has a rash on it and it seems to be drying out which is a good thing. Matthew will need to take it easy the next few days.
Sunday 12-21-2008
Matthew had a good day today. He spent the afternoon with family and friends. His great grandma was so excited to see him. Matthew loves to spend time with people and just loves to take pictures with the camera.
Friday 12-19-2008
Today was Matthew's Christmas party at school. He had so much fun playing with his friends and eating snacks. It was also his sister party so Matthew being the socialite that he is had to drop in and crash that party also. His leg looked a lot better this morning when he woke up. After applying another round of the spray (which he still didn't like) it seemed to be much less red and irritated.
Thursday 12-18-2008
Wow today was a busy day for Matthew. First he went to school for a few hours then he went shopping for gifts for his daycare teachers. After lunch Matthew went to see Ms. Traci, his therapist, and worked on drawing his emotions. After that Matthew had physical therapy. He did so well today! He is learning how to squat and jumps like a frog. It was extremely encouraging to see him jump. He also ran the fastest speed on the treadmill to date, 3.1 miles per hour! He has so much willpower to push forward even when he’s tired. Matthew also was given some type of anti-bacterial spray for the rash on his leg. He does not like it as it burns when I apply it to the rash.
Monday 12-15-2008
Today was Matthew and Samantha’s school Christmas play. Matthew was dressed as a clean faced Santa and Samantha played a reindeer. Other than Matthew fallen twice on stage (yikes) he did a fantastic job! I was so proud of him and Samantha. Samantha has developed quite a set of lungs. Matthew and I have been working on the "Meet the Parents movie" I'm watching you move. If you have ever seen the movie this is what Robert DeNiro does to Ben Stiller when they pull up to the light and he knows that Ben has spray painted another cat. So in the middle of the play Matthew sees me and does the I'm watching you move, it was extremely comical so of course I had to do it back. He has so much personality and it so awesome watching him grow!
Friday 12-12-2008
Matthew had a fabulous day today. He went to school for a few hours then went to see his friends at the SECU in Garner. Little did he know that they had a bunch of presents for him and his sister, Sammie. After explaining to him how people had been so giving to us, he asked could he share his toys with others. I told him that was the Christmas spirit and off we went to pick out a few toys to give away. After Matthew picked them out we returned to his daycare and he put the toys in the "Toys for Tots box". He is such a loving and sharing human being. After speaking with one of Matthew's teachers we have decided that they will focus on his recognition skills, since that is the only place where he seems to be behind due to missing several months of school. It was really relieving to hear that she felt he was on par in all the other areas. With that being said Matthew and Sammie spent the rest of the night playing board games and doing flash cards in front of the fire sipping on chocolate milk with the family.
Thursday 12-11-2008
Matthew had a great day today. He stayed at school till after nap time for the first time. Matthew seems to be adjusting well to the whole school routine. Matthew worked extra hard today at re-hab. I am so proud of his dedication and hard work. (He’s definitely a Baldwin) He is trying to learn how to skip but still has a ways to go! BTW thanks to everyone who has shown support to Matthew over the last few months. We have officially broken 50,000 site views!!!!!!
Saturday 12-06-2008
Today Matthew had a lot of fun. He played with his flash cards, board games and puzzles. He is trying to play catch up on learning things since he was out of pre-school for over four months. Matthew did well today walking on his robot leg. He went out to eat for lunch and met with some of his friends. Afterwards he did some shopping, walking for the majority of the time. His little leg looked really good once we took the robot leg off.
Friday 12-05-2008
Today Matthew helped Daddy hang some Christmas lights outside. He is really getting excited about Christmas. He just loves the whole theme that comes with the holiday.
Thursday 12-04-2008
Matthew had a wonderful day! He had a great time at school and then went to re-hab. It has been a week since his last re-hab appointment so he was a little rusty. He tried several advance movements and did really good. After riding around the town little at Christmas lights he settled in and finished the night with cookies and milk.
Today Matthew went to see Dr. Crowl and his prosthetic technician, Mr. Shane. Apparently Matthew has already grown about an inch and is already in need of a new stem for his robot leg. Mr. Shane has also ordered some new sockets for his leg to hopefully do away with that reoccurring rash. Matthew did great at re-hab today as most of it was spent outside going up and down hills and stepping up stairs.
Friday 12-26-2008
Matthew had a fantastic day! His rash on his leg has really cleared up. Today Matthew worked on stretching and doing one leg dips. He spent the rest of his time enjoying his Christmas presents.
Thursday 12-25-2008
Christmas day is finally here as Santa made his rounds last night. Matthew was so excited all day long. After opening his presents he ate a breakfast style brunch with Papa Dean, Grandma, Aunt Mandy and Mr. Aaron. It was really yummy! Matthew and his sister played and played until they were so tired they wanted nap time on their own! After waking up off we headed to Ms. Dee's house for some more yummy food and present openings. Ms. Casey's little baby Morgan just loves spending time with Matt and Sam. It is so awesome to watch Matthew be so gentle when playing with her. After a full day of excitement Matthew had no problem falling asleep once his head hit the pillow. We were extremely fortunate this year as there were plenty of presents, thanks to many people and most importantly Matthew. I could not help but think to myself what would it have been like if God would have called my little boy home on August 1st. It sure puts a different spin on what’s important during this time of the year such as family, friends and loving them as hard as you can because you just never know if it will be the last time you see them.
Tuesday 12-23-2008
Two more days till Christmas! Matthew is really getting excited. I hung up both of "Santa's Keys" on the front door today. I have told Matthew that Santa can either come down the chimney or use his "secret key" to come in a deliver the presents. Today at rehab Matthew took it easy and worked on core strength without his leg on due to the rash. I sure hope we can get this rash under control so he won't lose momentum!
Monday 12-22-2008
Matthew and his little sister are out of school this week, so Matthew started the day off with spending time with Grandma Doris. Matthew said they had loads of fun and really liked the automatic Christmas tree which goes up and down. Later in the day Matthew went to physical therapy and did very well. His leg still has a rash on it and it seems to be drying out which is a good thing. Matthew will need to take it easy the next few days.
Sunday 12-21-2008
Matthew had a good day today. He spent the afternoon with family and friends. His great grandma was so excited to see him. Matthew loves to spend time with people and just loves to take pictures with the camera.
Friday 12-19-2008
Today was Matthew's Christmas party at school. He had so much fun playing with his friends and eating snacks. It was also his sister party so Matthew being the socialite that he is had to drop in and crash that party also. His leg looked a lot better this morning when he woke up. After applying another round of the spray (which he still didn't like) it seemed to be much less red and irritated.
Thursday 12-18-2008
Wow today was a busy day for Matthew. First he went to school for a few hours then he went shopping for gifts for his daycare teachers. After lunch Matthew went to see Ms. Traci, his therapist, and worked on drawing his emotions. After that Matthew had physical therapy. He did so well today! He is learning how to squat and jumps like a frog. It was extremely encouraging to see him jump. He also ran the fastest speed on the treadmill to date, 3.1 miles per hour! He has so much willpower to push forward even when he’s tired. Matthew also was given some type of anti-bacterial spray for the rash on his leg. He does not like it as it burns when I apply it to the rash.
Monday 12-15-2008
Today was Matthew and Samantha’s school Christmas play. Matthew was dressed as a clean faced Santa and Samantha played a reindeer. Other than Matthew fallen twice on stage (yikes) he did a fantastic job! I was so proud of him and Samantha. Samantha has developed quite a set of lungs. Matthew and I have been working on the "Meet the Parents movie" I'm watching you move. If you have ever seen the movie this is what Robert DeNiro does to Ben Stiller when they pull up to the light and he knows that Ben has spray painted another cat. So in the middle of the play Matthew sees me and does the I'm watching you move, it was extremely comical so of course I had to do it back. He has so much personality and it so awesome watching him grow!
Friday 12-12-2008
Matthew had a fabulous day today. He went to school for a few hours then went to see his friends at the SECU in Garner. Little did he know that they had a bunch of presents for him and his sister, Sammie. After explaining to him how people had been so giving to us, he asked could he share his toys with others. I told him that was the Christmas spirit and off we went to pick out a few toys to give away. After Matthew picked them out we returned to his daycare and he put the toys in the "Toys for Tots box". He is such a loving and sharing human being. After speaking with one of Matthew's teachers we have decided that they will focus on his recognition skills, since that is the only place where he seems to be behind due to missing several months of school. It was really relieving to hear that she felt he was on par in all the other areas. With that being said Matthew and Sammie spent the rest of the night playing board games and doing flash cards in front of the fire sipping on chocolate milk with the family.
Thursday 12-11-2008
Matthew had a great day today. He stayed at school till after nap time for the first time. Matthew seems to be adjusting well to the whole school routine. Matthew worked extra hard today at re-hab. I am so proud of his dedication and hard work. (He’s definitely a Baldwin) He is trying to learn how to skip but still has a ways to go! BTW thanks to everyone who has shown support to Matthew over the last few months. We have officially broken 50,000 site views!!!!!!
Saturday 12-06-2008
Today Matthew had a lot of fun. He played with his flash cards, board games and puzzles. He is trying to play catch up on learning things since he was out of pre-school for over four months. Matthew did well today walking on his robot leg. He went out to eat for lunch and met with some of his friends. Afterwards he did some shopping, walking for the majority of the time. His little leg looked really good once we took the robot leg off.
Friday 12-05-2008
Today Matthew helped Daddy hang some Christmas lights outside. He is really getting excited about Christmas. He just loves the whole theme that comes with the holiday.
Thursday 12-04-2008
Matthew had a wonderful day! He had a great time at school and then went to re-hab. It has been a week since his last re-hab appointment so he was a little rusty. He tried several advance movements and did really good. After riding around the town little at Christmas lights he settled in and finished the night with cookies and milk.
November 2008
Thursday 11-27-2008
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone from Matthew! Matthew had a great day visiting friends and family. Not to mention he stuff himself on some turkey, mashed potatoes and pie! Matthew is such a Daddy's boy and loves to watch football on T.V.
Wednesday 11-26-2008
Today Matthew had a great time at school. He colored and sang with his friends. After leaving around lunch time Matthew went to visit some of Dad's work friends and Grandma. Today was water day at therapy and he had so much fun. He is really learning to use his little leg when he swims. I am so proud of how hard he tries and how much he has accomplished in such little time.
Monday 11-24-2008
Today was Matthew's first day back to school! He was sooo excited. I'm not quite sure who was more excited Matthew or all of his classmates. They mobbed him with hugs and greetings like he was a rock star. He loved showing everyone his new leg. Matthew stayed at school until noon until he had to head to rehab where he worked very hard on the treadmill (check out the video on the left). After rehab Matthew and Daddy headed down to Greenville to see his prosthesis technician, Shane, who was very surprised and happy to see Matthew walking, already. Shane was pleased with the progress and fit of the prosthesis and sent Matthew off with some good advice on how to prevent rashes and new shrinkers for his little leg.
Sunday 11-23-2008
Matthew is really getting excited about tomorrow. He will return to school as a student for the first time since losing his leg. Even though it will only be for a few hours, I'm sure it will do him good mentally. I can't wait to see the smile on his face.
Saturday 11-22-2008
Matthew's leg looks a lot better today. Today Matthew and his little sister, Sammie, decorated the Christmas tree. They had so much fun hanging up the ornaments. After running some mid evening errands he spent the afternoon drinking hot chocolate by the fire place playing board games.
Friday 11-21-2008
Today Matthew's re-hab was cancelled due to the rash on his leg. We are going to try some different techniques and let the leg air out over the weekend. He still did his stretching, sit-ups, push-ups and flash cards. Matthew has almost mastered writing his own name.
Tuesday 11-18-2008
Matthew’s re-hab took a huge step forward today. Today he worked on climbing up and down two flights of stairs. He was so impressive that Ms. Anna walked behind him as he climbed them on his own. He also ran for the first time in the suspension harness. He really enjoyed running. His ability to overcome this loss and his positive attitude are just incredible. God must have big plans for him in the future. His rash on his leg has come back though so there will be no therapy tomorrow.
Sunday 11-16-2008
Matthew had a fun day today. After picking him up, he baked lasagna and cookies for our family and friends. Matthew and Sammie played their new favorite game "Chutes and Ladders" while learning how to recognize and indentify numbers. He has to work extra hard since he has missed almost four months of school. After removing his prosthesis this afternoon I noticed a small rash area on the back of his little leg. Looks like he will be out of commission for a few days while the rash heals.
Friday 11-14-2008
Matthew was on point today at re-hab. He had his listening ears on and tried real hard. He worked on side to side movements, walking backwards and bending over picking up blocks. I am so proud of his effort and determination. He has the best attitude and the brightest smile in the whole world.
Monday 11-10-2008
Well today we got to finally show Ms. Nazaly and Ms. Anna our little secret. Matt did a good job of playing it off. First he used his walker to make his way into re-hab. Then when Ms. Nazaly came out to get him he pushed away from his walker and walked all the way to her. She was so excited for the little man. Matthew walked for the remainder of therapy and did very well. He walked up and down three steps several times and played catch with Ms. Nazaly and Ms. Anna. I am so thankful for their help and dedication to Matthew.
Saturday 11-08-2008
Family, friends and supporters: he is doing it! Matthew is walking on his own. It all came together TODAY - less than 2 weeks with his prosthesis- and he no longer wanted or needed his walker, he just took off walking on his own. Such a change from yesterday when I was so happy to see him take 10 steps on his own. We went to play minature golf and we started the first hole with his walker. After his first putt he took off after his ball and never looked back...he made it through the entire 18 holes without even a thought of his walker. To see him walking and playing with his sister without assistance brought tears to my eyes. I know he still has a lot of hard work ahead of him, but today was a huge accomplishment for Matthew. Check out the videos to see the miracle for yourself.
Friday 11-07-2008
Matthew had a great day today. First of all Matthew went to visit some family members. Then at therapy Matthew walked ten steps by himself. It was so incredible that I wanted to cry. It was like watching my son’s first steps all over again. He tried so hard and listened so well that I let him splurge on a big milkshake! He spent the rest of his afternoon with family and friends.
Wednesday 11-05-2008
Matthew was back on track today with the right attitude and determination at therapy. (Or maybe he was just super excited to do water therapy) Either way he did really well - and he had a great time! (Check out the video) Matthew also went back to Greenville this afternoon to have Shane, his prosthesis technician, adjust his knee joint. It's back to walking therapy tomorrow.
Monday 11-03-2008
Not sure if it was the rainy weather or just a poor night’s sleep, but today’s therapy was a wash. Matthew was just not motivated to push himself very hard. We are going to break up the routine on Wednesday and try some water therapy. His robot leg also needs some tweaking to the knee joint. The knee joint appears to be breaking too easily.
Sunday 11-02-2008
Matthew is doing great today. He was up bright and early and ready to roll. Today Matthew played candy land, put together four puzzles and learned with his mouse flash cards. I am so proud of him as he continues to display such a positive attitude regarding the whole situation. I can't wait to see him walk without any assistance.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone from Matthew! Matthew had a great day visiting friends and family. Not to mention he stuff himself on some turkey, mashed potatoes and pie! Matthew is such a Daddy's boy and loves to watch football on T.V.
Wednesday 11-26-2008
Today Matthew had a great time at school. He colored and sang with his friends. After leaving around lunch time Matthew went to visit some of Dad's work friends and Grandma. Today was water day at therapy and he had so much fun. He is really learning to use his little leg when he swims. I am so proud of how hard he tries and how much he has accomplished in such little time.
Monday 11-24-2008
Today was Matthew's first day back to school! He was sooo excited. I'm not quite sure who was more excited Matthew or all of his classmates. They mobbed him with hugs and greetings like he was a rock star. He loved showing everyone his new leg. Matthew stayed at school until noon until he had to head to rehab where he worked very hard on the treadmill (check out the video on the left). After rehab Matthew and Daddy headed down to Greenville to see his prosthesis technician, Shane, who was very surprised and happy to see Matthew walking, already. Shane was pleased with the progress and fit of the prosthesis and sent Matthew off with some good advice on how to prevent rashes and new shrinkers for his little leg.
Sunday 11-23-2008
Matthew is really getting excited about tomorrow. He will return to school as a student for the first time since losing his leg. Even though it will only be for a few hours, I'm sure it will do him good mentally. I can't wait to see the smile on his face.
Saturday 11-22-2008
Matthew's leg looks a lot better today. Today Matthew and his little sister, Sammie, decorated the Christmas tree. They had so much fun hanging up the ornaments. After running some mid evening errands he spent the afternoon drinking hot chocolate by the fire place playing board games.
Friday 11-21-2008
Today Matthew's re-hab was cancelled due to the rash on his leg. We are going to try some different techniques and let the leg air out over the weekend. He still did his stretching, sit-ups, push-ups and flash cards. Matthew has almost mastered writing his own name.
Tuesday 11-18-2008
Matthew’s re-hab took a huge step forward today. Today he worked on climbing up and down two flights of stairs. He was so impressive that Ms. Anna walked behind him as he climbed them on his own. He also ran for the first time in the suspension harness. He really enjoyed running. His ability to overcome this loss and his positive attitude are just incredible. God must have big plans for him in the future. His rash on his leg has come back though so there will be no therapy tomorrow.
Sunday 11-16-2008
Matthew had a fun day today. After picking him up, he baked lasagna and cookies for our family and friends. Matthew and Sammie played their new favorite game "Chutes and Ladders" while learning how to recognize and indentify numbers. He has to work extra hard since he has missed almost four months of school. After removing his prosthesis this afternoon I noticed a small rash area on the back of his little leg. Looks like he will be out of commission for a few days while the rash heals.
Friday 11-14-2008
Matthew was on point today at re-hab. He had his listening ears on and tried real hard. He worked on side to side movements, walking backwards and bending over picking up blocks. I am so proud of his effort and determination. He has the best attitude and the brightest smile in the whole world.
Monday 11-10-2008
Well today we got to finally show Ms. Nazaly and Ms. Anna our little secret. Matt did a good job of playing it off. First he used his walker to make his way into re-hab. Then when Ms. Nazaly came out to get him he pushed away from his walker and walked all the way to her. She was so excited for the little man. Matthew walked for the remainder of therapy and did very well. He walked up and down three steps several times and played catch with Ms. Nazaly and Ms. Anna. I am so thankful for their help and dedication to Matthew.
Saturday 11-08-2008
Family, friends and supporters: he is doing it! Matthew is walking on his own. It all came together TODAY - less than 2 weeks with his prosthesis- and he no longer wanted or needed his walker, he just took off walking on his own. Such a change from yesterday when I was so happy to see him take 10 steps on his own. We went to play minature golf and we started the first hole with his walker. After his first putt he took off after his ball and never looked back...he made it through the entire 18 holes without even a thought of his walker. To see him walking and playing with his sister without assistance brought tears to my eyes. I know he still has a lot of hard work ahead of him, but today was a huge accomplishment for Matthew. Check out the videos to see the miracle for yourself.
Friday 11-07-2008
Matthew had a great day today. First of all Matthew went to visit some family members. Then at therapy Matthew walked ten steps by himself. It was so incredible that I wanted to cry. It was like watching my son’s first steps all over again. He tried so hard and listened so well that I let him splurge on a big milkshake! He spent the rest of his afternoon with family and friends.
Wednesday 11-05-2008
Matthew was back on track today with the right attitude and determination at therapy. (Or maybe he was just super excited to do water therapy) Either way he did really well - and he had a great time! (Check out the video) Matthew also went back to Greenville this afternoon to have Shane, his prosthesis technician, adjust his knee joint. It's back to walking therapy tomorrow.
Monday 11-03-2008
Not sure if it was the rainy weather or just a poor night’s sleep, but today’s therapy was a wash. Matthew was just not motivated to push himself very hard. We are going to break up the routine on Wednesday and try some water therapy. His robot leg also needs some tweaking to the knee joint. The knee joint appears to be breaking too easily.
Sunday 11-02-2008
Matthew is doing great today. He was up bright and early and ready to roll. Today Matthew played candy land, put together four puzzles and learned with his mouse flash cards. I am so proud of him as he continues to display such a positive attitude regarding the whole situation. I can't wait to see him walk without any assistance.
October 2008
Thursday 10-30-2008
This is day 3 of Matthew's rehabilitation with his prosthetic leg and each day he gets better at balancing, stepping and walking. Today he learned how to move side to side while holding on to parallel bars. The smile on his face is incredible and hopeful when he accomplishes a new movement.
Monday 10-27-2008
Matthew begins a new "walk" of life today - he officially has a prosthetic leg. His robot leg is red with Spiderman print. He was very excited and wanted to make sure that Daddy thought his new leg was cool - which of course it's the coolest leg in the whole world. He was able to take steps while holding on to the bars. I am so proud of Matthew he is a true superhero.
Monday 10-20-2008
Only one more week until Matthew gets his prosthetic leg. He continues to make progress getting around with his walker, but he is ready to walk again on his own. Since he lost his leg, Matthew's mobility has significantly declined and he has become accustom to playing video games and watching movies most of the time. He has been out of daycare for over two months now, and I don't want him to be too far behind the rest of his class when it is time to return, so Matthew spent the day learning the alphabet, recognizing letters and numbers, and putting together puzzles. He did very well and had a lot of fun too!
Thursday 10-16-2008
Today was a very fun day for Matthew. He and his sister went to the State Fair! They both had such a great time riding the roller coasters, playing games, checking out the farm animals and eating! Matthew also got to meet a lot of Daddy's police friends. He did a great job getting around in his wheel chair, fortunately he will have his robot leg soon and won't have to rely on a wheel chair to get around.
Tuesday 10-14-2008
Today was so exciting for Matthew! His "robot leg" was fit to size and he took his first "official" steps. It was very hard for Matthew to balance his core while trying to move his leg but he did it and was so happy. One of his two physical therapist, Nazaly, made the trip down and helped with Matt's first few steps. I was so glad she took the initiative to come familiarize herself with his new "robot leg". Matt is so resillent and I am so proud of him. Matt also picked out which spiderman pattern that we are going to have Shane install on his new leg.
Sunday 10-12-2008
Matthew is getting around so well - he is learning new ways each day to be independent and do things on his own. Matthew visited the pumpkin patch today. He got to take a train ride, a hay ride and pick out his pumpkin. He had such a great time. It's so great to see him smile and laugh. He has endured more these past two months than most people do in their entire lives.
Saturday 10-11-2008
Considering the terrible tragedy that Matthew has endured he is making such great progress each day. He was in such great spirits today - especially when he got to see his Papa Dean and Grandma!
Thursday 10-09-2008
Matthew had physical therapy today. He is doing so well that his therapists have scaled back his therapy to once a week - assuming that he will continue his stretches and exercise at home until he gets his robot leg at which time he will do daily therapy to learn how to walk again.
Wednesday 10-01-2008
Matthew stood on his robot leg for the first time today! It was a very emotional moment. Matthew was excited, confused and nervous about the prosthetic. Unfortunately he has gotten quite used to not having a leg for past two months. It's obvious that it's going to take some time for him to come accustom to his robot leg. But like everything else Matthew has overcome, I know that he will do great with the prosthesis. Having said that It was great to see him able to stand with both "legs", it's been exactly two months to the day since he was able to do this on his own. Matthew will go back on October 14 for another fitting - hopefully the final adjustment! His robot leg should be ready in late October and starting prosthetic rehab in November!
This is day 3 of Matthew's rehabilitation with his prosthetic leg and each day he gets better at balancing, stepping and walking. Today he learned how to move side to side while holding on to parallel bars. The smile on his face is incredible and hopeful when he accomplishes a new movement.
Monday 10-27-2008
Matthew begins a new "walk" of life today - he officially has a prosthetic leg. His robot leg is red with Spiderman print. He was very excited and wanted to make sure that Daddy thought his new leg was cool - which of course it's the coolest leg in the whole world. He was able to take steps while holding on to the bars. I am so proud of Matthew he is a true superhero.
Monday 10-20-2008
Only one more week until Matthew gets his prosthetic leg. He continues to make progress getting around with his walker, but he is ready to walk again on his own. Since he lost his leg, Matthew's mobility has significantly declined and he has become accustom to playing video games and watching movies most of the time. He has been out of daycare for over two months now, and I don't want him to be too far behind the rest of his class when it is time to return, so Matthew spent the day learning the alphabet, recognizing letters and numbers, and putting together puzzles. He did very well and had a lot of fun too!
Thursday 10-16-2008
Today was a very fun day for Matthew. He and his sister went to the State Fair! They both had such a great time riding the roller coasters, playing games, checking out the farm animals and eating! Matthew also got to meet a lot of Daddy's police friends. He did a great job getting around in his wheel chair, fortunately he will have his robot leg soon and won't have to rely on a wheel chair to get around.
Tuesday 10-14-2008
Today was so exciting for Matthew! His "robot leg" was fit to size and he took his first "official" steps. It was very hard for Matthew to balance his core while trying to move his leg but he did it and was so happy. One of his two physical therapist, Nazaly, made the trip down and helped with Matt's first few steps. I was so glad she took the initiative to come familiarize herself with his new "robot leg". Matt is so resillent and I am so proud of him. Matt also picked out which spiderman pattern that we are going to have Shane install on his new leg.
Sunday 10-12-2008
Matthew is getting around so well - he is learning new ways each day to be independent and do things on his own. Matthew visited the pumpkin patch today. He got to take a train ride, a hay ride and pick out his pumpkin. He had such a great time. It's so great to see him smile and laugh. He has endured more these past two months than most people do in their entire lives.
Saturday 10-11-2008
Considering the terrible tragedy that Matthew has endured he is making such great progress each day. He was in such great spirits today - especially when he got to see his Papa Dean and Grandma!
Thursday 10-09-2008
Matthew had physical therapy today. He is doing so well that his therapists have scaled back his therapy to once a week - assuming that he will continue his stretches and exercise at home until he gets his robot leg at which time he will do daily therapy to learn how to walk again.
Wednesday 10-01-2008
Matthew stood on his robot leg for the first time today! It was a very emotional moment. Matthew was excited, confused and nervous about the prosthetic. Unfortunately he has gotten quite used to not having a leg for past two months. It's obvious that it's going to take some time for him to come accustom to his robot leg. But like everything else Matthew has overcome, I know that he will do great with the prosthesis. Having said that It was great to see him able to stand with both "legs", it's been exactly two months to the day since he was able to do this on his own. Matthew will go back on October 14 for another fitting - hopefully the final adjustment! His robot leg should be ready in late October and starting prosthetic rehab in November!
September 2008
Sunday 09-28-2008
Whoa boy, Matthew and Samantha were so worn out they slept in late this morning. Today Matthew and Sammie went for a stroll around the neighborhood, worked on total body stretching, coloring and flash cards. Matthew was so excited when he saw himself on T.V. I had to play it over and over again. Matthew wants to thank everyone for all of the email's of encouragement. He loves for me to read them to him.
Saturday 09-27-2008
Today was such an amazing day for Matthew - a day that he will never forget. He had such a wonderful time at the fund-raiser! Thank you so much to everyone that participated in such an important day for Matthew. Matthew has not stopped talking about what a great time he had and how much he loved meeting and hanging out with Spider-man, Boba Fett, The Hulk, She-Hulk, Batman, Wool E Bull, family and friends! We are so grateful to everyone who helped out and made this such a great day for Matthew!
Friday 09-26-2008
Matthew had a great day today. He is so excited about the tomorrow's event. He can't wait see all of his friends and talk about the robot leg that he will be getting very soon!
Wednesday 09-24-2008
Today Matthew was in great spirits - as usual. He has really mastered his walker, he has no trouble keeping up. He is so incredibly strong. Nothing is going to hold him back.
Tuesday 09-23-2008
Matthew was in a great mood today. His leg has completely healed from the infection. He did so well in physical therapy today and is ramping up for his prosthetic!
Thursday 09-18-2008
Matthew and sister Samantha spent the day with daddy. They had so much fun at the park. Matthew is getting around really well. Nothing holds him back, it's really amazing how he does not sit around and wait for things, he gets up and around for him self - which is a good because he could easily take advantage of the situation! I'm so proud of him and Samantha.
Tuesday 09-16-2008
Matthew did fantastic at physical therapy. He continues to make such great strides. He was able to balance on his leg for over a minute. He really is daddy's hero.
Monday 09-15-2008
Matthew woke and got right to his stretching and leg exercises. His little leg is getting so strong and he is doing so well. Matthew got to have lunch with his buddy Charlie and then went and visited his friend Kerry at work. Later this afternoon Matthew had an appointment in Greenville with his prosthetic technician, Shane, who was really impressed with Matthew's progression. October 1 is the date that Matthew will go back and stand on his first prosthesis!
Sunday 09-14-2008
The infection in Matthew's incision is nearly all gone! Matthew and his lil sis Sammie went swimming at Uncle Mark's pool. Matthew is such a great swimmer and loves to help his sister learn how to swim. Afterwards family and friends gathered for a big cookout at home.
Saturday 09-13-2008
After sleeping in from so much fun the night before, Matthew got to go meet characters from some of his favorite movies - Star Wars - in Durham. Matthew had so much fun impressing Princess Leah and the storm troopers with his wheelchair moves. Matthew ended the day meeting the great ladies from the Carolina Roller Girls!
Friday 09-12-2008
Matthew had a great day. The infection on his leg looks so much better. Matthew got to meet a lot of nice people at the sheriff's department. Matthew spent the afternoon at the park - he loves swinging and riding on the merry-go-round. Matthew ended the day having dinner with new friends (and maybe a couple new girlfriends - Shannon and Emily). Many thanks to Blair and Matt for dinner and all the support!
Tuesday 09-09-2008
Today at rehab, Matthew did really well. He completed an obstacle course, played soccer and the shell game. He continues to make such great progress on every level.
Monday 09-08-2008
Today Matthew spent the day with Daddy hanging, running errands and visiting friends. Afterwards Matthew went to the park, where he walked around on his walker, laid out on the picnic blanket, learned that acorns are not peanuts and that squirrels like to eat them.
Sunday 09-07-2008
Matthew woke up this morning and the infection in his incision looked so much better. He did a great job "leaving it alone" last night in bed. Matthew was so excited when Papa Dean and Grandma stopped over for a surprise visit. He spent most of the day taking it easy at home while his infection healed. The day ended with a stroll around the neighborhood and kisses from Lola and Diego.
Saturday 09-06-2008
It was a rainy start to the weekend when Hanna came to town, so Matthew hung out at home for most of the day and worked on his alphabet flash cards and played games. The infected area on Matthew's leg was very irritated and ended up popping - which the doctors were not too concerned about because it means the infection is coming out of the wound rather than festering under the skin. Despite the appearance of the infection he continues to move about and is happy as can be.
Friday 09-05-2008
Today Matthew had an appointment at Pitt Memorial with his rehabilitation doctor and his prosthetic specialist. The doctor was pleased with Matthew's recovery, however, he was concerned about the redness that Matt had recently developed around the incision. Afterwards Matthew met with Shane, his prosthetic technician, who by the way, also wears a right leg prosthesis. He began by taking a 3-D image of Matthew's leg from which they will make the initial mold for his prosthesis. Later on, Matthew went to his pediatrician and was prescribed antibiotics for the infection that has developed in his incision.
Thursday 09-04-2008
Matthew had a really good day at physical therapy. We noticed that he has developed some redness around the incision. Fortunately we are headed to Pitt Memorial where the doctors can examine it. Despite that, Matthew and Daddy went swimming and had a great time. He continues to make great progress learning how to swim, despite some time away from swimming and only one leg to kick with, he was able to swim all the way across the pool on his own. He is truly an amazing little guy and he continues to impress everyone each and every day.
Whoa boy, Matthew and Samantha were so worn out they slept in late this morning. Today Matthew and Sammie went for a stroll around the neighborhood, worked on total body stretching, coloring and flash cards. Matthew was so excited when he saw himself on T.V. I had to play it over and over again. Matthew wants to thank everyone for all of the email's of encouragement. He loves for me to read them to him.
Saturday 09-27-2008
Today was such an amazing day for Matthew - a day that he will never forget. He had such a wonderful time at the fund-raiser! Thank you so much to everyone that participated in such an important day for Matthew. Matthew has not stopped talking about what a great time he had and how much he loved meeting and hanging out with Spider-man, Boba Fett, The Hulk, She-Hulk, Batman, Wool E Bull, family and friends! We are so grateful to everyone who helped out and made this such a great day for Matthew!
Friday 09-26-2008
Matthew had a great day today. He is so excited about the tomorrow's event. He can't wait see all of his friends and talk about the robot leg that he will be getting very soon!
Wednesday 09-24-2008
Today Matthew was in great spirits - as usual. He has really mastered his walker, he has no trouble keeping up. He is so incredibly strong. Nothing is going to hold him back.
Tuesday 09-23-2008
Matthew was in a great mood today. His leg has completely healed from the infection. He did so well in physical therapy today and is ramping up for his prosthetic!
Thursday 09-18-2008
Matthew and sister Samantha spent the day with daddy. They had so much fun at the park. Matthew is getting around really well. Nothing holds him back, it's really amazing how he does not sit around and wait for things, he gets up and around for him self - which is a good because he could easily take advantage of the situation! I'm so proud of him and Samantha.
Tuesday 09-16-2008
Matthew did fantastic at physical therapy. He continues to make such great strides. He was able to balance on his leg for over a minute. He really is daddy's hero.
Monday 09-15-2008
Matthew woke and got right to his stretching and leg exercises. His little leg is getting so strong and he is doing so well. Matthew got to have lunch with his buddy Charlie and then went and visited his friend Kerry at work. Later this afternoon Matthew had an appointment in Greenville with his prosthetic technician, Shane, who was really impressed with Matthew's progression. October 1 is the date that Matthew will go back and stand on his first prosthesis!
Sunday 09-14-2008
The infection in Matthew's incision is nearly all gone! Matthew and his lil sis Sammie went swimming at Uncle Mark's pool. Matthew is such a great swimmer and loves to help his sister learn how to swim. Afterwards family and friends gathered for a big cookout at home.
Saturday 09-13-2008
After sleeping in from so much fun the night before, Matthew got to go meet characters from some of his favorite movies - Star Wars - in Durham. Matthew had so much fun impressing Princess Leah and the storm troopers with his wheelchair moves. Matthew ended the day meeting the great ladies from the Carolina Roller Girls!
Friday 09-12-2008
Matthew had a great day. The infection on his leg looks so much better. Matthew got to meet a lot of nice people at the sheriff's department. Matthew spent the afternoon at the park - he loves swinging and riding on the merry-go-round. Matthew ended the day having dinner with new friends (and maybe a couple new girlfriends - Shannon and Emily). Many thanks to Blair and Matt for dinner and all the support!
Tuesday 09-09-2008
Today at rehab, Matthew did really well. He completed an obstacle course, played soccer and the shell game. He continues to make such great progress on every level.
Monday 09-08-2008
Today Matthew spent the day with Daddy hanging, running errands and visiting friends. Afterwards Matthew went to the park, where he walked around on his walker, laid out on the picnic blanket, learned that acorns are not peanuts and that squirrels like to eat them.
Sunday 09-07-2008
Matthew woke up this morning and the infection in his incision looked so much better. He did a great job "leaving it alone" last night in bed. Matthew was so excited when Papa Dean and Grandma stopped over for a surprise visit. He spent most of the day taking it easy at home while his infection healed. The day ended with a stroll around the neighborhood and kisses from Lola and Diego.
Saturday 09-06-2008
It was a rainy start to the weekend when Hanna came to town, so Matthew hung out at home for most of the day and worked on his alphabet flash cards and played games. The infected area on Matthew's leg was very irritated and ended up popping - which the doctors were not too concerned about because it means the infection is coming out of the wound rather than festering under the skin. Despite the appearance of the infection he continues to move about and is happy as can be.
Friday 09-05-2008
Today Matthew had an appointment at Pitt Memorial with his rehabilitation doctor and his prosthetic specialist. The doctor was pleased with Matthew's recovery, however, he was concerned about the redness that Matt had recently developed around the incision. Afterwards Matthew met with Shane, his prosthetic technician, who by the way, also wears a right leg prosthesis. He began by taking a 3-D image of Matthew's leg from which they will make the initial mold for his prosthesis. Later on, Matthew went to his pediatrician and was prescribed antibiotics for the infection that has developed in his incision.
Thursday 09-04-2008
Matthew had a really good day at physical therapy. We noticed that he has developed some redness around the incision. Fortunately we are headed to Pitt Memorial where the doctors can examine it. Despite that, Matthew and Daddy went swimming and had a great time. He continues to make great progress learning how to swim, despite some time away from swimming and only one leg to kick with, he was able to swim all the way across the pool on his own. He is truly an amazing little guy and he continues to impress everyone each and every day.
August 2008
Sunday 08-31-2008
Matthew is doing so amazing. Today he and Samantha went swimming. They had so much fun splashing around and playing in the water. The pool was a great opportunity for him to work on his balance and keep his leg muscle stretch.
Saturday 08-30-2008
Today Matt, Sammie and Daddy went to visit Casey and little Miss Morgan who is just learning how to walk. Matthew was so kind and gentle, showing the baby how to walk using his walker. Matt had a great night, he spent it with Papa Dean and Grandma.
Friday 08-29-2008
Today Matt went to lunch with all of Daddy's work friends. Matt really enjoyed the all you can eat chips and salsa! Matt and his sister Samantha played together and then watched Cinderella in the movie room before they had a great night of sleep.
Thursday 08-28-2008
Wow, was Matthew ever impressive at rehab today - he balanced him self on one leg for 14 seconds! He got a lot of good work in today with his physical therapist. Since he did so well he came home and schooled his Daddy in his favorite video game. After dinner, Matt took Lola for a stroll around the neighborhood.
Monday 08-25-2008
Matthew had a fantastic day today. This has been his best day at physical therapy to date! Matthew was able to balance on his leg for nearly 10 seconds with out holding on to anything. His ability to balance has greatly improved. His spirits were untouchable today. He makes me so proud to call him my son.
Sunday 08-24-2008
Matthew and his father would like to thank everyone for coming out to Locked and Loaded in Garner and showing such support and love. He had such a great time meeting people and giving “high fives.” Matthew and his Dad wrapped up the evening with a stroll and roll around the neighborhood where they met lots of nice people and dogs.
Friday 08-22-2008
Matthew was wonderful today. He played all morning with his little sis and dad. Using his walker he made his way around the house, out to lunch and to the store. Matthew continues to impress everyone with his determination to get around on his own. Good work little man!
Thursday 08-21-2008
Matthew returned to physical therapy today. He was pretty tired and not as motivated as he was on Monday. He spent the evening with family and friends having a pizza party showing off his skills on his walker.
Wednesday 08-20-2008
Today was a big day for Matthew. He headed down to Pitt Memorial for appointments with his surgeon and the prosthetic technician. The surgeon was very pleased with the healing of the incision - so much so that they opted to remove the sutures. The prosthetic technician was also very pleased with the rate that Matthew is recovering from the surgery and recommended that Matt return in early September to have the mold made for his prosthesis!
Monday 08-18-2008
Matthew is doing fabulous today. He relies very little on his wheelchair and gets around most of the time using his walker. At physical therapy, Matt continues to impress his Dad and the therapist with his strength and determination.
Sunday 08-17-2008
Matthew woke up this morning and used his walker to walk all the way down the driveway to pick up the newspaper. Today was the benefit bike wash for Matthew at Locked and Loaded in Garner. So many amazing people came out to support him. He had such a great time meeting people and showing off his moves in his wheelchair. He was so exhausted from all the fun, that he fell asleep in car on the ride home. After nap time, Matthew and his Dad went to the movies to see the brand new animated Star Wars movie. Matthew gave it two thumbs up.
Saturday 08-16-2008
Matthew had a very active day today. His day began with a stroll around the neighborhood in his wheelchair, to the fire station and then to McDonald's for breakfast. Later on, Papa Dean and Grandma came over to hang out with Matthew. The day ended with one more stroll around the neighborhood with Matthew and his canine buddy's Lola and Diego.
Friday 08-15-2008
Today Matthew and Daddy visited family and friends. Matthew had a great time racing down the hallways in Daddy's office. Matthew is improving daily and he is sleeping through the night, but still wakes up in the morning a little bit sore.
Thursday 08-14-2008
Matthew did fantastic at rehab. His instructor was very impressed with his effort and attitude today. Afterwards, Matthew visited his Aunt Mandi and then spent the evening playing with his little sister Samantha.
Tuesday 08-12-2008
Although Matthew continues to improve daily, he has been having troubling sleeping through the night. His sutures are very itchy and painful. His spirits were lifted when his sister, Sammie P got home from daycare and they were reunited at home for the first time since the accident!
Monday 08-11-2008
Matthew started outpatient rehab today to strengthen his leg and keep his muscles and ligaments stretched out. He also got to go and see all of his friends at daycare! Matthew is doing really well and is being so strong, he is such a brave boy.
Saturday 08-09-2008
Today was awesome! The doctors have decided to release Matthew for a few weeks while his leg continues to heal. He will undergo outpatient leg strengthening therapy until his leg is ready to go forward with the walking recovery portion. Matthew is so excited to go home and can't wait to sleep in his own bed!
Friday 08-08-2008
Matthew had a great day with family and friends. Doctors are so impressed with his recovery from the surgery that he could be temporarily discharged from the hospital while his leg continues to heal and shape - which is necessary before any prosthetic therapy can begin. Matthew has also received his protective “boot” cover to go over his leg in case he falls while walking with his walker Matthew spent the day walking in his walker and riding around in his wheelchair and had his first meal off campus.
Thursday 08-07-2008
Matthew had a great day today. He walked with his walker from his room to the playroom twice. He also took at stab at hopping up a flight of steps and was successful!
Wednesday 08-06-2008
Matthew's leg is healing with no sign of infection. He continues to strengthen his upper body by using his walker. He was able to walk down the hall all the way to the playroom.
Tuesday 08-05-2008
Today Matthew started physical therapy. He took his first steps with a walker, although it is hard work he is doing really well.
Monday 08-04-2008
Matthew is completely off morphine and is now taking just Tylenol for pain relief. His progress is truly a miracle as he continues to impress everyone during his recovery.
Sunday 08-03-2008
Matthew is in great spirits. Today he learned how to get around in his wheelchair. Within about 20 minutes he has mastered maneuvering the chair and is beating his Dad in wheelchair races around the hospital.
Saturday 08-02-2008
Matthew is recovering from his surgery. He is already sitting up in his bed, watching movies, coloring and eating.
Friday 08-01-2008
Matthew underwent emergency surgery at Pitt Memorial Hospital. Doctors amputated his right leg just above the knee.
Matthew is doing so amazing. Today he and Samantha went swimming. They had so much fun splashing around and playing in the water. The pool was a great opportunity for him to work on his balance and keep his leg muscle stretch.
Saturday 08-30-2008
Today Matt, Sammie and Daddy went to visit Casey and little Miss Morgan who is just learning how to walk. Matthew was so kind and gentle, showing the baby how to walk using his walker. Matt had a great night, he spent it with Papa Dean and Grandma.
Friday 08-29-2008
Today Matt went to lunch with all of Daddy's work friends. Matt really enjoyed the all you can eat chips and salsa! Matt and his sister Samantha played together and then watched Cinderella in the movie room before they had a great night of sleep.
Thursday 08-28-2008
Wow, was Matthew ever impressive at rehab today - he balanced him self on one leg for 14 seconds! He got a lot of good work in today with his physical therapist. Since he did so well he came home and schooled his Daddy in his favorite video game. After dinner, Matt took Lola for a stroll around the neighborhood.
Monday 08-25-2008
Matthew had a fantastic day today. This has been his best day at physical therapy to date! Matthew was able to balance on his leg for nearly 10 seconds with out holding on to anything. His ability to balance has greatly improved. His spirits were untouchable today. He makes me so proud to call him my son.
Sunday 08-24-2008
Matthew and his father would like to thank everyone for coming out to Locked and Loaded in Garner and showing such support and love. He had such a great time meeting people and giving “high fives.” Matthew and his Dad wrapped up the evening with a stroll and roll around the neighborhood where they met lots of nice people and dogs.
Friday 08-22-2008
Matthew was wonderful today. He played all morning with his little sis and dad. Using his walker he made his way around the house, out to lunch and to the store. Matthew continues to impress everyone with his determination to get around on his own. Good work little man!
Thursday 08-21-2008
Matthew returned to physical therapy today. He was pretty tired and not as motivated as he was on Monday. He spent the evening with family and friends having a pizza party showing off his skills on his walker.
Wednesday 08-20-2008
Today was a big day for Matthew. He headed down to Pitt Memorial for appointments with his surgeon and the prosthetic technician. The surgeon was very pleased with the healing of the incision - so much so that they opted to remove the sutures. The prosthetic technician was also very pleased with the rate that Matthew is recovering from the surgery and recommended that Matt return in early September to have the mold made for his prosthesis!
Monday 08-18-2008
Matthew is doing fabulous today. He relies very little on his wheelchair and gets around most of the time using his walker. At physical therapy, Matt continues to impress his Dad and the therapist with his strength and determination.
Sunday 08-17-2008
Matthew woke up this morning and used his walker to walk all the way down the driveway to pick up the newspaper. Today was the benefit bike wash for Matthew at Locked and Loaded in Garner. So many amazing people came out to support him. He had such a great time meeting people and showing off his moves in his wheelchair. He was so exhausted from all the fun, that he fell asleep in car on the ride home. After nap time, Matthew and his Dad went to the movies to see the brand new animated Star Wars movie. Matthew gave it two thumbs up.
Saturday 08-16-2008
Matthew had a very active day today. His day began with a stroll around the neighborhood in his wheelchair, to the fire station and then to McDonald's for breakfast. Later on, Papa Dean and Grandma came over to hang out with Matthew. The day ended with one more stroll around the neighborhood with Matthew and his canine buddy's Lola and Diego.
Friday 08-15-2008
Today Matthew and Daddy visited family and friends. Matthew had a great time racing down the hallways in Daddy's office. Matthew is improving daily and he is sleeping through the night, but still wakes up in the morning a little bit sore.
Thursday 08-14-2008
Matthew did fantastic at rehab. His instructor was very impressed with his effort and attitude today. Afterwards, Matthew visited his Aunt Mandi and then spent the evening playing with his little sister Samantha.
Tuesday 08-12-2008
Although Matthew continues to improve daily, he has been having troubling sleeping through the night. His sutures are very itchy and painful. His spirits were lifted when his sister, Sammie P got home from daycare and they were reunited at home for the first time since the accident!
Monday 08-11-2008
Matthew started outpatient rehab today to strengthen his leg and keep his muscles and ligaments stretched out. He also got to go and see all of his friends at daycare! Matthew is doing really well and is being so strong, he is such a brave boy.
Saturday 08-09-2008
Today was awesome! The doctors have decided to release Matthew for a few weeks while his leg continues to heal. He will undergo outpatient leg strengthening therapy until his leg is ready to go forward with the walking recovery portion. Matthew is so excited to go home and can't wait to sleep in his own bed!
Friday 08-08-2008
Matthew had a great day with family and friends. Doctors are so impressed with his recovery from the surgery that he could be temporarily discharged from the hospital while his leg continues to heal and shape - which is necessary before any prosthetic therapy can begin. Matthew has also received his protective “boot” cover to go over his leg in case he falls while walking with his walker Matthew spent the day walking in his walker and riding around in his wheelchair and had his first meal off campus.
Thursday 08-07-2008
Matthew had a great day today. He walked with his walker from his room to the playroom twice. He also took at stab at hopping up a flight of steps and was successful!
Wednesday 08-06-2008
Matthew's leg is healing with no sign of infection. He continues to strengthen his upper body by using his walker. He was able to walk down the hall all the way to the playroom.
Tuesday 08-05-2008
Today Matthew started physical therapy. He took his first steps with a walker, although it is hard work he is doing really well.
Monday 08-04-2008
Matthew is completely off morphine and is now taking just Tylenol for pain relief. His progress is truly a miracle as he continues to impress everyone during his recovery.
Sunday 08-03-2008
Matthew is in great spirits. Today he learned how to get around in his wheelchair. Within about 20 minutes he has mastered maneuvering the chair and is beating his Dad in wheelchair races around the hospital.
Saturday 08-02-2008
Matthew is recovering from his surgery. He is already sitting up in his bed, watching movies, coloring and eating.
Friday 08-01-2008
Matthew underwent emergency surgery at Pitt Memorial Hospital. Doctors amputated his right leg just above the knee.