Support Making Matt's House Accessible

Let's Get Matt's Home Accessible

Update: July 15, 2024 -- Matt is making excellent progress! So much so, that they are working to get him transported to Salt Lake City for rehabilitation at the end of this week!

He will be in rehab for about two months, but he has a major problem: His house is not suitable for a person in a wheelchair. He needs to have his bedroom and a proper bathroom on the ground floor. He also needs a ramp to the front door. We are working on getting any contractors/businesses who are willing to donate their time and materials for free, but we know there will be costs that we don't know about yet. If you have anything you can provide, we express our deepest thanks to you!!

Update: July 11, 2024 -- Matt is still in the ICU in Mission Viejo. He has a tracheostomy and is still on a ventilator. He can mouth words, but he can only talk when air is routed from his ventilator hose through his mouth, which they only do once a day for 5 minutes. He currently cannot move his arms or legs, but he can move his shoulders and everything above his shoulders. He is in great spirits and is thankful that he is still alive to take care of his children.

He needs to complete extensive rehabilitation. His insurance company does not want to pay to have him transported to Salt Lake City for this rehab. They want to keep him in Southern California. Please donate as much as you can to this GoFundMe, so we can pay the $20,000 that it will cost to transport him to Salt Lake City.

What Happened?

On June 25, 2024, Matt Harris was body surfing with some of his children at Laguna Beach, California. For unknown reasons, he began to drown, and his heart stopped. One of his sons began yelling for help, and one of his daughters ran to get the life guard. Matt was pulled from the water, and the life guards began administering CPR. His heart was shocked, and a pulse returned. After being transported to the hospital, Matt's heart stopped again, and he was shocked until a pulse returned.

Matt was admitted to the cardiac ICU. His body was chilled for two days in order to reduce brain damage as much as possible. He was warmed to body temperature and was brought out of sedation. He began showing signs of brain activity, and started responding to questions with a head nod.

Matt is a fighter. Anyone who knows Matt, knows that he will fight for his life, his wife, and his family. He is fighting a fight for his life right now.

Medical bills will continue to accrue as the wonderful staff at Providence Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo work hard to save Matt's life. The road ahead will be full of challenges, both to himself and his family. We are asking for any financial assistance you would be willing to offer. Matt's wife has not asked for this assistance, but we feel strongly that the community at large can come together to help Matt out.

Thanks in advance!!