Remarkable courage and determination after brain injury

Back in November 2010, at the age of 23, Matt was a water sports instructor/skier travelling the world and having the time of his life. A freak accident then changed everything.

“Matt was in a coma after having fallen through a roof on a night out in London, as only a 23 year-old young man could! No one could tell us anything regarding a prognosis. It was simply a matter of wait and see.”

Waking up from the coma in January 2011 and unable to do anything, he had to relearn even the most basic of life skills.

“As his mother, I was beside him for much of that time as he underwent intensive rehab and retraining. While I am the main narrator of Matt’s story, he also chips in from his own unique viewpoint as a brain injury survivor

“His brain and his body may have been broken, but his spirit was very much intact.

“He soon made it obvious that nothing was going to stop him from getting back onto his skis. He set himself goals, ranging from walking 300m in the 2012 Olympic Torch Relay to then walking 26.2 miles in the Amsterdam Marathon in 2014. Goal after goal was ticked off as Matt defied the odds and the doubters who thought we were in denial.

“In 2018 he obtained his degree in sports journalism and is now living independently in Chamonix writing for a variety of ski websites, magazines and a ski company.

“Of course he succeeded in getting back on his skis too. It has been a long, tough road, but he simply didn’t seem to recognise the two words ‘give’ and ‘up’ when put together. This has been a time like no other. So many people came together for Matt, as he constantly impressed with his sheer guts, determination and humour. Our adventures took us to the French Alps and the Sierra Nevada mountains of California as the skiing communities cheered him on. We have seen the very best of humanity as people went out of their way to help this remarkable young man.

“As well as telling Matt’s story, my motivation was to raise awareness of brain injury and its effects. I describe in basic terms how the brain works. The healing brain can be amazing, frustrating and often crazy. I hope that by passing on our experiences, it will lead the reader to look at people differently. Maybe that wobbly person isn’t drunk after all – could be he’s suffered a brain injury.”

The book is available from all major retailers, including, Amazon. It will also be available as an ebook on all major ebook retailer sites , such as Amazon, Apple, Google Play and Kobo.

Anne, aged 65, added: “We moved to Aldwick in 2007 from Surrey, by which time Matt had left home and was working/travelling. However, his accident in 2010 meant that he was forced to move back home in order for us to look after him, so he was here from 2011 to 2015 when he started uni and he moved away properly in July 2019 when he moved to the French Alps to pursue his new career as a ski journalist. He was in hospital in St Richards when he was first transferred from London following his coma, and then he spent six months in Donald Wilson Neuro Rehab Unit in the grounds of St Richard’s until returning home to us in June 2011. We made full use of the walks in West Sussex in order to get him back on his feet!

“Many hours were spent circuiting Chichester Marina, walking along the beach at West Wittering and training for the marathon by walking up and down Centurion Way. The book is a memoir, mainly narrated by me, but with contributions from Matt throughout. After having lived through what will surely be the most intense experience of my life, I felt I needed to share what I had learnt with other people. Unsurprisingly, I knew nothing about brain injury when Matt had his accident. As we sat for hours each day by Matt’s bedside in the Royal London Hospital back at the end of 2010, I just wanted to know about someone else’s experience – specifically someone who had gone through this and emerged at the other end in good shape.”

“The only books I could find were either very depressing and didn’t end well or they appeared to recover very quickly with no ill effects and no long coma, so I felt they didn’t really apply to our case.

“I needed to read about someone who had suffered a really serious head injury, been in coma for at least a few weeks and then recovered. I had kept a journal from day four and then throughout Matt’s recovery.

“We had so many amazing adventures and the story developed in such unexpected ways, that I just knew I had to put pen to paper and write the story. It is the book I would have liked to find for myself back in 2010.

“It’s an inspiring, uplifting story that I now feel is especially appropriate for these present times. Of course, when I wrote it, I had no idea it would be released in the middle of a worldwide pandemic! A lot of people who have already read it have commented that Matt’s story puts things in perspective as to what is and what isn’t important in everyday life. Matt’s attitude towards getting through a very tough time certainly can teach us all a thing or two!”