Max
04-11-2003, 12:14 PM
'Miracles for Matthew' on April 25
By Jeanne M. Rideout / jrideout@cnc.com
Wednesday, April 9, 2003
Nobody knows better than the Nagle family that miracles can happen.
That Matt Nagle, then 21, survived a vicious knife attack two years ago as fireworks exploded in the sky over Wessagusset Beach is a miracle in itself. At 10 p.m., on July 3, 2001, Matt, one of the top football stars Weymouth High ever had, was enjoying the annual festivities on the eve of the Fourth of July. A fight broke out on Caldwell Street. In the chaos that followed, a knife flashed.
When emergency personnel arrived at about 10:30 p.m., Matt was lying on the pavement, not breathing. The former Weymouth High star linebacker was stabbed in the neck, resulting in a devastating spinal cord injury that was to leave him a quadriplegic. Matt spent months in rehabilitation hospitals and clinics in Boston, Atlanta, and Braintree before he was able to return to his South Weymouth home. He needs 24 hour care and couldn't breathe without a ventilator. Bills not covered by insurance come to about $100,000 each year.
Yet Matt, his friends, and his family - his parents, Patrick and Ellen, his brother Michael, his Uncle Rick - have never stopped hoping for another miracle, one that could occur in the laboratory of a research center.
"Although I am still on a ventilator and completely paralyzed, I continue to be encouraged by the amazing results scientists are achieving every day. Foundations such as Christopher Reeves and others continue to raise money to fund the dedicated researchers who are trying so desperately to find a cure for spinal cord injury," Matt wrote in a recent letter to his friends that shared the news about the second "Miracles for Matthew" event. The first event was in September, 2001.
"Thank you for making the first annual Miracles for Matthew - Weymouth Elks event a huge success. My parents tell me that over 600 people attended and I am totally grateful. My Uncle Rick is preparing for the second Elks event and this time I plan on being there. After several operations on my throat I am finally talking and having my voice back is truly a blessing," Matt wrote.
The second annual Miracles for Matthew-Weymouth Elks event will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 25, at the Weymouth Elks.
"This time I hope I can party with everyone. Please know how much your continued support and encouragement means to me and my family," Matt said.
For tickets call Rick Nagle 508-747-1676, Susan Perry, 781-331-9256, or Patrick and Ellen Nagle, 781-331-6214. Tickets are $35. To order by mail, send to Miracles for Matthew, 79 Rustic Drive, So. Weymouth, MA 02190
http://www.townonline.com/weymouth/news/local_regional/wey_newwnjeannaglemiracles04092003.htm
By Jeanne M. Rideout / jrideout@cnc.com
Wednesday, April 9, 2003
Nobody knows better than the Nagle family that miracles can happen.
That Matt Nagle, then 21, survived a vicious knife attack two years ago as fireworks exploded in the sky over Wessagusset Beach is a miracle in itself. At 10 p.m., on July 3, 2001, Matt, one of the top football stars Weymouth High ever had, was enjoying the annual festivities on the eve of the Fourth of July. A fight broke out on Caldwell Street. In the chaos that followed, a knife flashed.
When emergency personnel arrived at about 10:30 p.m., Matt was lying on the pavement, not breathing. The former Weymouth High star linebacker was stabbed in the neck, resulting in a devastating spinal cord injury that was to leave him a quadriplegic. Matt spent months in rehabilitation hospitals and clinics in Boston, Atlanta, and Braintree before he was able to return to his South Weymouth home. He needs 24 hour care and couldn't breathe without a ventilator. Bills not covered by insurance come to about $100,000 each year.
Yet Matt, his friends, and his family - his parents, Patrick and Ellen, his brother Michael, his Uncle Rick - have never stopped hoping for another miracle, one that could occur in the laboratory of a research center.
"Although I am still on a ventilator and completely paralyzed, I continue to be encouraged by the amazing results scientists are achieving every day. Foundations such as Christopher Reeves and others continue to raise money to fund the dedicated researchers who are trying so desperately to find a cure for spinal cord injury," Matt wrote in a recent letter to his friends that shared the news about the second "Miracles for Matthew" event. The first event was in September, 2001.
"Thank you for making the first annual Miracles for Matthew - Weymouth Elks event a huge success. My parents tell me that over 600 people attended and I am totally grateful. My Uncle Rick is preparing for the second Elks event and this time I plan on being there. After several operations on my throat I am finally talking and having my voice back is truly a blessing," Matt wrote.
The second annual Miracles for Matthew-Weymouth Elks event will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 25, at the Weymouth Elks.
"This time I hope I can party with everyone. Please know how much your continued support and encouragement means to me and my family," Matt said.
For tickets call Rick Nagle 508-747-1676, Susan Perry, 781-331-9256, or Patrick and Ellen Nagle, 781-331-6214. Tickets are $35. To order by mail, send to Miracles for Matthew, 79 Rustic Drive, So. Weymouth, MA 02190
http://www.townonline.com/weymouth/news/local_regional/wey_newwnjeannaglemiracles04092003.htm