Big Gains and Upcoming Benefit!

A big thanks to Paul Gillingham for organizing and everyone who attended or helped out with the 2011 Cal Salmon Race. It looked like it was a great time and I'm honored that it was a benefit to help me on my road to recovery. Every little bit helps!!!


Project Walk has been going great. I continue to get stronger and stronger with each day. One of the biggest improvements has been increased core strength, which is soooooo important!!!!! Just recently I've been able to lean back about 5 degrees from sitting straight up and then sit back up straight. I know it doesn't sound like much, but its HUGE!!!!!!! Mostly, because according to modern medicine that should be impossible. I've been taking video and hope to have a short video posted in the coming weeks.

One thing I've been doing for fun is learning how to sale, which has been a lot of fun. Skimming across the water powered only by the wind and knowing I'm solely responsible for the control of the boat is highly liberating!! I absolutley the feeling of independence.


I've been making great progress at Project Walk. Everyday I'm inspired by my progress and the progress of those around me, which is fuel for the fire to never give up! Even though I dearly miss my friends and the Great State of Jefferson I've decided to try stay here longer. It just seems to be the best thing for me to do right now. You gotta make hay while the sun is shining and for me the sun is shining at Project Walk. This is where you come in. To make this happen I need to raise a significant amount of funding by the end of August. The cost for a year of attending Project Walk is about $48,000 and none of it is covered by insurance. Recovering from a spinal cord injury is a slow costly process and I'm very fortunate to have the amazing support that allows me the opportunity to be here.

Ways to help:

1. In the top right corner of this blog is a link to donate to my cause.

2. The 3rd Annual Klamath River Benefit Bash is scheduled for August 20th, 2011. Festivities will kick off with whitewater rafting starting at noon followed by dinner and then music. Come for the day or stay and camp out for the night. More details will follow soon.

3. My good friends Ben Stookesberry and Chris Korbulic will be showing the premiere of their new film "Kadoma" and all proceeds will go to help me on my way to recovery and I'll be there for the event!!!!!

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I'm honored and humbled to have the amazing support from all of you. The amount of support that I've received is truly not the norm and its completely due to the fact that you are an exceptional group of people that I've had the good fortune of knowing!!!

The Journey Goes On

Sorry for the lack of updates. I know there are (or were ha ha) a lot of people following my progress and supporting me. Thank you for your support because without it the progress I’ve gained in the last few months would not be possible. My recovery is going to take a long time and your support is dearly appreciated and needed.

Speaking of support…wait for it…yes, that's right, I have needs…aside from professional psychiatric needs of course. The most urgent need I have right now is for a caregiver starting May 1 and going through at least the middle of June, but I could also extend it to August if that would be more desirable. It pays $10/hr and there’s about 50 hrs/ week and a room (free rent) is provided. There’s only about 2 hours of hard work per day and the rest is just hanging out and driving me around. If you’re interested email at mattnevergivesup@gmail.com soon! Oh, and its in San Diego…so if you’re unemployed and want a change of scenery lets talk!!

The other ongoing need is resources to attend Project Walk. It cost about $4000 per month just for the therapy not including living expenses in an expensive area. I've looked into a lot of different things and I'm convinced that PW is best thing for me right now. The progress is undeniable.

I’ve been doing the Project Walk thing now for 3 months and its going great. The hard work of the last three months is starting to pay off. This last week I saw significant improvement in my core strength, which has translated into better posture, balance, and being able to start working on transfers. I’m close, but need some more practice. I took a header into the couch practicing the other night, but don’t worry it was a soft landing and Joe was spotting me. I’ll get it pretty soon. I’ve also been using my manual chair as much as possible. My short-term goals are to get self sufficient in my manual chair and be able to transfer myself, which I’m working very hard to attain.



It’s hard to put the work I’m doing into tangible terms even for myself. I’ve been working out 3 hours a day, 3 days week and now I can sit up straight without falling over, I can slide my butt over a couple inches, and I can bench press 40 lbs 15 times. That kind of progress seems so small and almost indiscernible. I remind myself that just over a year ago those things seemed completely impossible. I didn’t learn how to kayak class V the first year I got in a kayak or ski steep remote slopes in the backcountry. No, it took several years of stubborn determination, countless hours of mundane practicing, and most importantly, constantly pushing my limits. The rewards of those many years are being able to enjoy the wonders of the South Branch, Upper Cherry Creek, and the Trinity Alps backcountry. The rewards of the sweat tears at Project Walk are a MUCH needed independence MOBILITY!!!



Per the request of many I added a link to the side of this blog...over there on the right...to my Facebook album that is accessible by ANYONE you don't need to have Facebook!!!!!!