The life of Matt Potratz (44) was changed a few years ago by an avalanche in the American state of Idaho. A man was swept off a slope while riding a snowmobile and was buried under snow for several hours. He was brought to the hospital without signs of life and was revived in the ambulance. Doctors told his family that his brain showed no activity. Therefore, they recommended that she consider being disconnected from life support.
- Matt Potratz survived an avalanche while riding a snowmobile.
- The accident caused him serious injuries, for which he ended up in a coma.
- After waking up from the coma, he could not move his left hand, talk, read or walk.
- The operation alleviated his difficulties, but the paralysis in his left arm remained.
- Today he inspires people, lectures and is the author of books.
Before the accident, Matt lived his life to the fullest. As a professional snowmobile rider, he indulged in extreme sports, often racing on rocky terrain, climbing steep chutes and meeting the best skiers and snowboarders in the world.. He even acted in seven films, building a career full of adrenaline.
However, in March 2009, an unexpected accident happened to the young athlete. Matt was caught in his favorite spot near the town of McCall by a large avalanche, burying him under tons of snow. He did not remember the incident. Friends later told him that the avalanche ripped his helmet off his head while he was buried several meters below the surface.
Although rescuers found Matt thanks to avalanche beacons, it took them up to five hours to get him out. The helicopter could not land due to bad weather conditions, so the rescue was slow, dangerous and exhausting.
Even worse was Matt himself. He had a broken neck, a crushed femur, multiple rib fractures, a collapsed lung, a severe facial fracture and bilateral brain hematomas. He spent 88 days in the hospital, half of them in a coma. At one point his condition was so serious that doctors advised the family to be disconnected from life support. But Matt’s father flatly refused. “If I were him, he wouldn’t have given up on me,” he said, asking for a second doctor’s opinion.
As paramedics prepared to confirm Matt’s death, family and friends gathered at his bedside, holding his hands and praying for a miracle. After almost 90 minutes, one of the loved ones uttered the words that changed everything. “I don’t know why, but I feel like she senses our presence,” he said. “Matt, if you can hear me, blink your eyes,” he urged. That’s when a miracle happened, for which loved ones begged. His eyelids moved. The summoned doctor therefore ordered the patient to squeeze his hand gently. Matt responded again.
A few days later, his condition improved. Although this led to him waking up from his coma, his suffering was not over. He could not write his name and his speech was limited. Therefore, he had to relearn how to read, speak, recognize numbers and take his first steps. In addition, Matt was in excruciating pain in his paralyzed left arm. “It felt like someone was warming my frozen hand, only it was 20 times worse,” he said.
During one night the pain was so unbearable that he was ready to end his life. Finally, he was stopped by the thought of his son Ethan, who had lost a pet at the time. “What if he loses me too?” he thought. After several months of health problems, the surgical team in the American city of Chicago succeeded in a groundbreaking operation. Matt’s spine was opened and the nerves that carried pain signals to his left arm were burned. Thanks to the operation, his life changed significantly.
Today, sixteen years later, Matt is a completely different person. He lectures and motivates people during his speeches, runs a business, hosts a podcast and is an author of books. He does all this despite having permanently lost the ability to move his left arm.
He owes his recovery to his family and their constant support. “They said I wouldn’t be able to walk, but I’m walking. They said I wouldn’t talk, now I do it for a living. They said I wouldn’t be able to form thoughts, and I wrote a book,” he revealed. When asked if he would change anything in his life, he gave a determined answer. “I wouldn’t change a thing. Not even my paralysis. The change to the person I am today was worth all the wounds I’ve endured,” adds in conclusion.
This article comes from the Ringier publishing partner website. The content and data contained in it were taken without editorial intervention.
