"MATTHEW'S HOPE...A FATHER'S LEGACY"
The story behind Larry's divine calling...
On May 23, 2015, everything in my life changed when I heard the words, “Your son is dead.” Matthew was only 24....
I was supposed to help him move into his new apartment the next day. In an instant words such as “tomorrow, next time, maybe, possibility" – vanished.
The hope of a new day, a new start, a new path…it all ended.
Matthew died after falling out of a chair and hitting his head in the exact spot of a previous head injury. The coroner confirmed the cause of death was due to his slip and fall, but also found trace amounts of heroin and cocaine in his bloodstream. Matthew’s prior head injury was truly the beginning of the end.
In college, Matthew suffered three TBI's (Traumatic Brain Injury) when he helped his roommate in a fight over a girl in a parking lot. Matthew took punches to both Frontal Lobes, which caused him to black-out and fall backwards onto the concrete parking lot which cracked his skull in the Occipital area. After extensive time in ICU with a skull fracture, Matthew made significant strides in his recovery. He dealt with seizures and headaches for a year. His doctor prescribed hydrocodone and oxycodone for pain. We didn’t know it, but that was the start of Matthew’s opioid addiction.
When the prescriptions ran out and his tolerance increased, Matthew turned to heroin. At the time, we had no idea. After all, Matthew had everything going for him. He was handsome, popular, intelligent with a great education, and had a zest for adventure, nature, and world travel. Heroin addict? Never!
Yet, it happened. My wife and I, as well as Matthew’s biological mother, and older brother lived the roller-coaster of emotions that comes with the shock and heartache of learning your child is addicted to drugs…and the rocky path of recovery for an opioid addict. We prayed, and prayed, and prayed. Matthew was on a path to recovery, having completed 105 days of detox and in-patient rehab and recovery, but he continued to struggle with addiction, and was taken from us in a single fall.
On more than one occasion, over several years prior to his addiction, Matthew told me he was going to die young, that I would outlive him. He said this to me several times, including one evening at dinner, the night before he died. Matthew said something very strange. He said, "So dad, I now know why I am going to die early... my death is necessary for you to accomplish a very special purpose in your life that God has for you, and you will only be able to accomplish it after I die. If I continue living you will not be able to accomplish God's purpose in your life." Interestingly enough, that same evening, he also told me, with great excitement, that he wanted to join a local Baptist church that we had attended in the past, find a Christian wife and someday have kids. I, of course, was very excited to hear all of this.
The next day, he was dead. I did not understand what God's "will" was at that time, but I understand it now.
Matthew's death left us with a terrible, empty feeling. I now know that my God-given mission is to reach out with my experiences, and with the knowledge of God's grace and mercy, and help others struggling with opioid addiction. I want to help those struggling with addiction, as well as their loved ones, so that they may recover, become whole again and celebrate life.
No parent wants to outlive their child. But in an instant, our world changed. Now, I'm doing everything in my ability to ensure it doesn't happen to your son, daughter, brother, sister, spouse or loved one. We can save lives. We can save families.
On May 23, 2015, everything in my life changed when I heard the words, “Your son is dead.” Matthew was only 24....
I was supposed to help him move into his new apartment the next day. In an instant words such as “tomorrow, next time, maybe, possibility" – vanished.
The hope of a new day, a new start, a new path…it all ended.
Matthew died after falling out of a chair and hitting his head in the exact spot of a previous head injury. The coroner confirmed the cause of death was due to his slip and fall, but also found trace amounts of heroin and cocaine in his bloodstream. Matthew’s prior head injury was truly the beginning of the end.
In college, Matthew suffered three TBI's (Traumatic Brain Injury) when he helped his roommate in a fight over a girl in a parking lot. Matthew took punches to both Frontal Lobes, which caused him to black-out and fall backwards onto the concrete parking lot which cracked his skull in the Occipital area. After extensive time in ICU with a skull fracture, Matthew made significant strides in his recovery. He dealt with seizures and headaches for a year. His doctor prescribed hydrocodone and oxycodone for pain. We didn’t know it, but that was the start of Matthew’s opioid addiction.
When the prescriptions ran out and his tolerance increased, Matthew turned to heroin. At the time, we had no idea. After all, Matthew had everything going for him. He was handsome, popular, intelligent with a great education, and had a zest for adventure, nature, and world travel. Heroin addict? Never!
Yet, it happened. My wife and I, as well as Matthew’s biological mother, and older brother lived the roller-coaster of emotions that comes with the shock and heartache of learning your child is addicted to drugs…and the rocky path of recovery for an opioid addict. We prayed, and prayed, and prayed. Matthew was on a path to recovery, having completed 105 days of detox and in-patient rehab and recovery, but he continued to struggle with addiction, and was taken from us in a single fall.
On more than one occasion, over several years prior to his addiction, Matthew told me he was going to die young, that I would outlive him. He said this to me several times, including one evening at dinner, the night before he died. Matthew said something very strange. He said, "So dad, I now know why I am going to die early... my death is necessary for you to accomplish a very special purpose in your life that God has for you, and you will only be able to accomplish it after I die. If I continue living you will not be able to accomplish God's purpose in your life." Interestingly enough, that same evening, he also told me, with great excitement, that he wanted to join a local Baptist church that we had attended in the past, find a Christian wife and someday have kids. I, of course, was very excited to hear all of this.
The next day, he was dead. I did not understand what God's "will" was at that time, but I understand it now.
Matthew's death left us with a terrible, empty feeling. I now know that my God-given mission is to reach out with my experiences, and with the knowledge of God's grace and mercy, and help others struggling with opioid addiction. I want to help those struggling with addiction, as well as their loved ones, so that they may recover, become whole again and celebrate life.
No parent wants to outlive their child. But in an instant, our world changed. Now, I'm doing everything in my ability to ensure it doesn't happen to your son, daughter, brother, sister, spouse or loved one. We can save lives. We can save families.
Larry Wedekind
President/Founder
Matthew's Hope Foundation
President/Founder
Matthew's Hope Foundation
Commercial for Matthews Hope Foundation with ABC Network
Click above to see "Matthew's Story"
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Addiction is a family disease...One person may use but the whole family suffers. |