O'Gorman student on the road to recovery after traumatic brain injury from head-on crash
After Matthew Schulte and his mom Nancy Schulte got into a head-on collision this November, Matthew had a long road to recovery.
The two were on their way back Nov. 5 from Yankton, when the crash occurred. Nancy had been picking up Matthew that day since his scouting camp was finished, he said.
Matthew, 16, a junior at Bishop O’Gorman High School, hit his head on the center console of his mom’s car and emerged from the accident with a traumatic brain injury and some broken ribs, as well as a bruised lung and injuries to his kidney and spleen, according to the hospital, Madonna Rehabilitation, which played a part in treating him. Nancy broke her collarbone.
After the Nov. 5 crash, Matthew was at Sanford Health for a month, where doctors were “just kind of keeping me alive,” he said of his stay from Nov. 5 to Dec. 7. Then he was transferred to Madonna Rehabilitation in Omaha, Nebraska until Feb. 1.
He recalls first awaking at Sanford, but becoming fully “competent” at Madonna. The crash left him unable to talk and walk, according to Madonna Rehabilitation.
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The first time he remembers really using his voice after the accident is singing hymns at Madonna’s mass service.
“I’ve always been singing, even before the accident, too, so it was just kind of a habit,” Matthew said of his musical awakening.
Matthew’s parents stayed with him for those three months of hospital stays, and he said it was great to have them around.
“I’m glad I was able to be there to help support him,” Nancy said.
His stays involved physical therapy to strengthen his legs again by use of a LifeGait gait trainer to improve his walking balance, and a functional electrical stimulation bicycle to wake up his arm muscles, according to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital.
“It’s amazing seeing the progress I was making,” Matthew said of his recovery, noting he’s still doing occupational therapy in Sioux Falls for his left hand and arm. “Originally, I had to be in a wheelchair and toted around, but now I’m walking all over.”
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Some siblings and other family members would visit every now and then, too. Friends also sent Matthew mail and postcards to hang up in his hospital room.
But, the biggest visiting group Matthew had was more than a dozen of his friends from school who took their Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to drive down to Omaha to visit. The friend group spent their visit in one of the hospital’s gyms, then caught up about what he was doing and what each of his friends were doing.
Matthew has also mostly caught up with schoolwork, and stayed involved in the marching band, concert band, chamber choir and concert choir as much as he could. He’s looking forward to getting back to his work in the theater, too, where he helps build sets and operates lights for shows like the upcoming spring musical, “Footloose.” He continued voice lessons during his hospital stay over FaceTime.
Now that his health is improving, Matthew is looking forward to a big trip planned for Wednesday through Saturday with his school choir as they participate in the National Honor Choir concert in Cincinnati. Singers who’ve auditioned will all get together and perform pieces for a concert anyone can attend.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: O'Gorman High student Matthew Schulte recovering after brain injury
