Man moves on after losing legs in blast
“I’ve got a lot of strength and desire to keep moving.” – MATT FELTON
Matt Felton tries to stay upbeat for himself, but also for the people around him who want to believe it’s possible to go on after suffering such a terrible loss.
“So I think, OK,“he says with a little laugh, “I guess I have to keep this positive attitude.”
Matt lost both legs above the knees in an explosion on July 18, two days before his 46th birthday.
His body is changed forever, yet his spirit remains remarkably intact. We talked across the kitchen table at his Bay View home last week. He suffers persistent phantom pain where his feet used to be, but his eyes shine brightly.
“I have a really strong faith,” he tells me. “I’ve known Jesus since I can remember knowing anything. I just felt this calming spirit come over me the moment that it happened.”
Matt was refueling his Ford van, which runs on compressed natural gas, at a station operated by the Milwaukee Department of Public Works at 3921 W. Lincoln Ave., when the blast occurred.
Witnesses reported the sound was deafening, but Matt doesn’t remember hearing it. He was standing alongside the van with his friend, Jason Ermi.
“All of a sudden all the air around me just gets shaky. I see my friend disappear out of my sight. The next thing I know I’m laying on the ground with my legs crumpled under me,” Matt said.
Blood spurted from an artery in one leg, and he remained conscious as he tried to stop it with his hands. His legs were riddled with asphalt that blew apart. His limbs could not be saved. Jason was blown back and suffered a broken leg and serious burns. Both men are in wheelchairs now.
It’s unclear to Matt what caused the explosion. He has refueled his van many times without problems, and he liked that the fuel is cheaper than gasoline. Neither man was smoking, he said. An investigation is underway. The DPW declined to comment for this article.
Matt remained at Froedtert Hospital exactly one month, and his room became known as the place rocking with visitors and reggae music. He had 13 surgeries and received 32 units of blood, he said.
His sense of humor was surprisingly intact. Matt’s job is artistic tile work and designing and remodeling bathrooms and kitchens, and he was working that week on his sister Anne’s house. Not long after the accident, Matt told his surgeon he had one very important request. “You need to tell my sister I’m running a little bit behind.”
Matt, who is single, had insurance through a faithbased health share plan, but it became clear that additional money would be needed to pay for quality prosthetics that will help him resume his active lifestyle of biking, kayaking, hiking and challenging adventures.
He was scheduled to join a group climbing Mount Everest in September. They honored him with a message on a rock at base camp: “Matt Felton, 2017, you made it in spirit.” It’s on his Facebook wall along with inspirational stories of others who have lost their legs.
Family and friends mobilized quickly to create a GoFundMe plea, and to plan a huge fundraising event. So far, more than $61,000 of the $150,000 goal has been raised.
“Matt has a long road ahead of him. Please help him get on his feet and walk it!” his niece, Dana Felton, wrote to rally support for the fundraiser. Matt expressed gratitude to Dana and others for leading the charge to help him.
Anne, his sister and a registered nurse, is coordinating Matt’s care at home and helping with the difficult selection of just the right prosthetics. His mission trip friends installed a new lift and sidewalk, and his garden club tidied up his yard. One friend, Jason Trowbridge, stayed with Matt’s dogs, Bear and Sheba, while he was hospitalized.
Matt hopes to drive again, return to work and maybe even join friends next year on an adventure to the Amazon jungle.
“That’s the plan,” he says with a smile. “I think I’ll be going a lot quicker than what they’re thinking. I’ve got a lot of strength and desire to keep moving.”