Between his sophomore and junior years at Utah Valley State College, Matthew Wood spent the summer of 2004 selling alarm systems for APX in the Concord, California area. He had a successful summer of sales, which was stable preparation for his upcoming August 2004 wedding to Jessica Randolph.
Matt and Jessica were married on August 13, 2004, and immediately returned to the Provo, Utah area where both attended college full time. Matt also worked as a computer programmer, and Jessica worked as a waitress at Olive Garden. Their schedules were demanding, but they immediately learned to be creative in carving out some time to spend together, designed dates with no money, and spent many hours laughing and enjoying their new life together. They were active and enthusiastic, spending many hours hiking, biking, swimming, and looking for the next great adventure. Both Matt and Jessica had a zest and joy for the simplest pleasures.
Jessica graduated in April 2005, with a Bachelor's degree in Health Science. She immediately began training as a massage therapist at Utah College of Massage Therapy. Matt finished his Junior year, at which time his computer programming job became a full time position.
On June 20, 2005 Matt and Jessica were traveling home from a backpacking trip to the Grand Canyon with another couple. As they sat in the back seat of the vehicle, the driver inadvertently veered off the road and over corrected, causing the car to flip and roll for a quarter of a mile.
While all four passengers in the car sustained significant injuries requiring hospitalization and surgery, Matt was left with very grave injuries and bleak prognoses. His injuries included a shattered vertebrae in his neck, fractured face and arms, broken palette, punctured lungs, multiple lacerations and contusions. His most life threatening and significant injury, however, was severe head trauma resulting in a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Matt was life-flighted to LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, where he remained in a coma and on life support for four weeks. When he breathed on his own and the ventilator was removed, he was able to move to East Lake Care Center in Provo. Little by little, Matt's overall condition improved as he came in and out of his coma state. While he remained largely incoherent for many weeks, his eyes were open and his levels of alertness increased gradually.
In September Matt was moved to full time intensive rehabilitation at Utah Valley Hospital. He would have to learn to walk, talk, and feed himself all over again. The medical assessment was that he had very severe brain damage with significant problems with both long and short term memory. His balance was precarious at best (at 6'5" tall, this was quite a challenge). Another CT scan revealed that his brain had shrunk significantly due to dying brain cells.
During Matt's 4 months in the hospital, Jessica stayed at his side every moment she could (while she, too, recovered from injuries and underwent 4 surgeries and resumed her studies at UCMT). Even while in his coma, Matt seemed to sense her presence, evident by the calming of his blood pressure and heart monitor readings.
Medical costs were so prohibitive that the inadequate car insurance could not begin to cover the expenses. Matt and Jessica were forced to give up their apartment. Fortunately, Matt's mother, Traci, had recently moved to the Provo area. When Matt was released from the hospital, he and Jessica moved in with Traci. He required 24 hour care and attention, and through Jessica's and Traci's continued diligence, and with further physical and occupational therapy, Matt's progress continued. The medical profession has been surprised that he lived, then amazed at his progress, and yet the memory and cognition deficit has kept him from being able to succeed in school or to hold a job.
Jessica and Matt now live in southwest Colorado, near Durango, in the town where Jessica was raised. They were shocked and surprised by an unplanned pregnancy, but thrilled when on December 20, 2006, they were blessed with a baby boy, Kaden Matthew Wood.
Now, nearly three years after the accident, we still see small improvements in Matt's memory, his abilities, and his physical skills. He still suffers from the effects of brain injury. He was once very active, adventurous, and loved to be outdoors. His injuries have left him unable to do most of the hobbies he once loved. He has many physical deficits, balance issues, and wears a leg brace everyday. Matt has worked extensively with a neuro-psychologist, more physical therapy, and is currently involved in a vocational rehab program, in hopes of finding a part time job which will give him an added sense of purpose and activity.
Jessica takes full-time care of both Matt and Kaden. She is working to establish a massage clinic and business in her home, and is currently taking a medical transcription course. She is hoping to establish these two home-based careers so she can provide for her family while staying home and caring for them as she needs to.
Matt has been blessed with a kind and gentle personality, and as Jessica says "He is so easy to love." He has inspired many, and touched more lives than he will ever know. Jessica is innately dedicated, fiercely loyal, and very nurturing, so their blend is as perfect as it can be in order to deal with the daily challenges their lives offer. They approach each day with cheer and faith. They have significant struggles, financial concerns, and obstacles; both have spells of worry, frustration, and discouragement. They each have the ability to overcome these spells, and with optimism, bravely put one foot in front of the next, as they walk into an unsure future.
