When we said goodbye to our 21 year old son, Matthew, as he left the UK for his Gap Year experience and the trip of a lifetime to New Zealand, it was the culmination of twelve months of planning and a desire to live his dream on the other side of the world. Little did we know how events would unfold, which would change his life and that of our family forever one fateful night two months later.
On the 8th of December 2007 Matthew was accidentally shot in the back of the head at point blank range with a high-powered rifle while working on a farm in New Zealand. When we received the news from the police in New Zealand, we were told that as his injury was so severe, he was unlikely to survive. Then followed what can only be described as a journey from hell as we flew the 12,000 miles in a desperate attempt to arrive at his bedside before he died.
On arrival at the Waikato Hospital in New Zealand it was obvious that Matthew’s injuries were catastrophic and there appeared little hope that, even if he did survive, it would be possible for him to make any sort of meaningful recovery.
The story is written from a father’s perspective and describes the heartrending emotions that consume a family when the unimaginable becomes a reality 12000 miles away from home. It charts how, after plumbing the depths of despair, hope gradually returns.
The progress that Matthew has been able to make since his accident is nothing short of amazing and it can give hope and inspiration to all people who have suffered a severe head injury, as well as to all their families.