CAM Testimonials: Matt's Story
Three years ago, Matt felt proud of himself for his ability to win races
and play basketball, his popularity among his many friends, and his ambitious
career goals. Now, following a life-threatening car accident, Matt's proud
of how he can once again walk and talk, how his drug test comes out clean
week after week, and how he's been sober a year.
The reasons have changed, but pride is pride. It still feels wonderful.
In high school Matt participated on the Brookville, Ohio High School track
and basketball teams. Always an active and amiable young man, he "didn't
like sitting still," and enjoyed partying with his friends when he
wasn't participating in sports or working. In fact, he'll tell you with
a grin, during his first year at Ohio University at Athens, Ohio, "classes
got in the way of my partying," and his grades hit bottom. The following
year he worked harder, his grades rose, and he seemed well on his way toward
getting his diploma in electrical engineering.
All that changed on August l6, l997, the summer after his sophomore year
at O.U. On that day, Matt left the home he shared with his mother, grandmother,
and two brothers to drive to his job at a restaurant. The night before,
he and his girlfriend had partied with friends--"horsing around, a
little of this, a little of that"--and he'd overslept. Although he
has no memory of what happened that morning, he believes he was in a hurry
to get to work. Whatever the reason, he swerved into a ditch, then overcorrected
and hit a tree, then another tree. Within minutes, Good Samaritan Hospital's
Care-Flight transported Matt to Dayton where, because his brain was swelling
dangerously, physicians induced a coma.
Matt stayed in a coma for four weeks, while his brain stabilized, and
family members stayed with him around the clock, renting a room at the
hospital. While Matt was in a coma, doctors told his mother he'd never
walk again. But they hadn't counted on Matt's determination, his faith,
or the support he received from his family. When doctors reversed the coma-like
state, he was transferred to Miami Valley Hospital for rehabilitation.
He needed to relearn walking and, because one of his vocal cords no longer
functioned, talking as well. Doctors estimated that he'd need at least
6-7 weeks of intensive rehabilitation.
But to Matt, that sounded too long. The hospital bills were mounting,
and his long hospital stay put a strain on his family. "I pushed myself," he
says. "I prayed a lot. Before the accident, I wasn't really religious,
but now I'm a big believer in prayer." He adds proudly: "There
wasn't a church around here where folks weren't praying for me." His
faith and determination paid off. In two weeks, Matt could walk by himself.
In three and a half weeks, he was sent home, and he continued daily outpatient
therapy for the next three months.
Although now Matt could walk and talk, he still didn't have complete control
over his movements, and making himself clear was often an effort. But he
wanted to move ahead, to get out into the world. Not having a job didn't
suit him. "I'd always worked," Matt says. "I didn't want
to just sit around."
Matt's grandmother got him a job washing dishes in the nursing home where
she worked. But Matt couldn't control the tremor in his left hand, and
the job didn't work out. Next Matt decided to return to college--at least
it would give him something to do. In winter of l998, he began courses
at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, once again pursuing electrical
engineering. He did fine his first quarter, when his classes were largely
repeats of those he'd already had at O.U. But the second quarter, when
he took classes with new subject-matter, Matt found he couldn't concentrate
or pay attention. He failed both courses.
At home, with no job and no school, all those empty hours and all that
disappointment led to depression. One night, Matt went into the garage
and slit his wrists.
Following his suicide attempt, Matt ended up once again in Good Samaritan
Hospital, only this time in the Mental Health Unit. During that time, as
usual, Matt was a quick-study. "Being there, talking to people," he
says, "made my problems seem so small." Three days later, he
was sent home. At this point Matt got involved with HIRE, a Dayton-based
program that provides vocational training for people with disabilities.
During the HIRE program, he was referred to another Dayton program, Consumer
Advocacy Model (CAM), which works with disabled people who have problems
with substance abuse.
"Substance abuse occurs at a much higher rate among the disabled
than among the general population," says Kristen Dunn, the director
of CAM. For some people, their disability happens as a direct result of
their substance abuse. For others, substance abuse begins after the disability
as a response to pain management, or to depression related to the disability.
In Matt's case, both pain management and depression pointed to potential
problems with substance abuse. Before his accident, he'd enjoyed a good
party, frequently drinking beer or smoking marijuana with friends. After
his accident, he sometimes sought the temporary relief that liquor could
bring, but soon discovered this road could lead to disaster.
"I can't have alcohol or marijuana," he says now. "They
mess up my medications." As with all CAM participants, Matt's first
step in the program was a thorough assessment, a three to four hour process
which determines the person's specific needs. Matt's assessment revealed
that he suffered from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), which helped explain
his difficulties when returning to school.
Following the assessment, CAM staff designs a customized treatment program
for each participant. For Matt, like most CAM clients, that program began
with AWARE, an eight-week long twice-weekly group in which a facilitator
presents information on substance abuse and leads discussions.
"Our facilitator brought up topics, asked for opinions," Matt
says of his experience with the AWARE group. "We talked about how
to stay sober, how to get through the day." For Matt, as for many
CAM participants, the initial educational group was followed by a weekly
support group, in which participants share stories and look closely at
therapy issues. Matt found this group especially helpful.
"Most people in that group were older than me," he says. "They
were trying hard to stay straight. It seemed like our talks were on a higher
level."
Throughout this process, Matt also had weekly sessions with a counselor,
to make sure his individual needs were being addressed. This individual
attention is critical to the success of the CAM program, according to Kristen
Dunn. "Wrapped around everything is the individual counseling and
case management. Our program provides more individual attention than most
programs because of what a disabled person goes through." Life began
looking up for Matt. As well as his new sobriety and support from the CAM
program, he had considerable support from his close, loving family. He
and his grandfather embarked on a major project, the building of a brick
driveway in front of his home. And Matt especially enjoyed spending time
with his four-year-old brother, Mark, who had been born when he was away
at college.
When Matt decided to re-enroll in Sinclair Community College, his CAM
counselor, Bernie, went with him to help fill out the admission papers.
Matt has a new major now, and new goals. Being with his little brother
showed him how much he loves children, and he's studying for an Associate's
Degree in Early Childhood Education. He works hard, and classes are going
well now that Matt knows some techniques to help him deal with his ADD. "My
concentration's a little better," he says.
Matt still meets weekly with his counselor, to check in and report on
how things are going. The weekly meeting also includes a drug test, and
passing it each week makes Matt feel good about himself. "Most of
my friends can't say they've been clean for a year," he says. "I
like saying that. It makes me feel proud. Now that I'm sober I can go straight
to my goal."
For CAM participants, according to Kristen Dunn, success is threefold:
getting sober, developing a sense of self-acceptance, and finding a vocational
goal and beginning to work toward it. Given these criteria, Matt can count
himself a success. While he still struggles daily with the challenges of
his body and mind, he feels hopeful. When Matt talks about his plans, his
face lights up.
"I feel good about my future," he says, describing his plans
to eventually teach in elementary school. "Children are so innocent.
If you can help pull them in the right direction, you'll be amazed what
can happen. You can step back and look at what you've done and be proud
of yourself."
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