This past Sunday, millions tuned in to the UFC Freedom 250 fights from the White House lawn.

The seven-card fight featured some of the top MMA fighters, a military flyover, honored our active duty military, Veterans and first responders and, in a rare MMA moment, all fights ended by knockout for the first time, exceeding expectations. 

But what is truly impressive, is the work that happened leading up to the event. The years of training by the fighters and military members, doing hard things to reach new heights. 

Matthew also spent years preparing for a fight…the reality that the hardest person he was going to be asked to fight for was himself.

For years, Matthew stood on stages and fought for people with disabilities to be seen, heard, and supported. 

Then life changed.

A devastating medical setback stripped away his independence. The man who once traveled the country advocating for others found himself sleeping in a medical recliner in his living room, separated from his wife for more than five years, struggling with something he had never truly faced before: asking for help himself.

What follows is Matthew’s story, written in his own words. Because sometimes the most powerful way to understand a journey is by hearing directly from the person who lived every moment of it. 

This is the story of an advocate learning that accepting support can be every bit as courageous as fighting for it.

An Advocate’s Journey

By Matthew C.

Like a crisp breeze kissing my cheek I remember the feeling of the moment I realized I would become an advocate. Like a violent crashing wave, I remember the jolting moment I knew I needed to depend on others to advocate for me. 

I was thirteen years old when I realized that I had the drive and desire to battle for the needs of people with disabilities. I began with self-advocacy, writing my own IEP and challenging administrations for equality and accommodations.  Before I graduated high school, I graduated from fighting for my own needs to serving on my Board of Education as a student and turning my focus to fighting for my peers’ needs. 

During college and graduate school I pursued every opportunity to bolster my abilities and competencies. I wrote articles for nonprofits and publications; I recorded videos leveraging social media and I began scheduling training sessions for anyone who was open to them. In 2016, at the age of 25, I launched my first nonprofit, Break The Roof. Advocating became synonymous with my identity. Which is why, when it came time for me to turn to others for support, it felt as if I had lost myself. 

While I have had Muscular Dystrophy my entire life, I have always been determined to be as independent as possible in all aspects of life. Even after major injuries and seasons of recovery I always fought my way back to independence. 

Over the years, how I was advocating would change but never subside. When I became a father, I actively took a step back from traveling to conferences to speak and focused instead on advocating for my children’s needs while still accepting writing opportunities. 

I also pivoted my attention to supporting people with disabilities in traveling through co-founding a travel agency. I retained my core motivation and goals with every new life challenge. That was until 2021 when I experienced a specific setback that I had never expected. 

The night before my 30th birthday I was rushed to the emergency room to find that my body had gone septic after what was previously thought to be a successful surgery from the week prior. I was placed into a medically induced coma and woke up nearly two weeks later having missed my birthday and having lost all of my independence.

What followed over the next year was a losing battle in the fight to regain independence as I once knew it. My once limited physical resources (like the ability to drive and walk) were now completely gone.  For months I was unable to bathe, dress or toilet myself. My marriage went from a comfortably balanced relationship to that of the dynamic of a caregiver and patient. 

It was devastating and continued for years. 

Due to financial limitations we made do as a family, and I did what I could as I got some strength back. I was relegated to a separate room from my wife, sleeping on a medical grade recliner for the next five years. 

We could not afford other medical devices, so I relied on a motorized scooter that we purchased years prior. I very much went from someone who actively travelled and pursued wild dreams to a reality that felt akin to a hermit. 

Over the next few years, I had no choice but to miss various family gatherings, my children’s concerts and sporting events and so on. I could no longer advocate for others and I could not successfully advocate for myself. It took me far longer than I would like to proudly admit to seek out the help that I often provided for others. 

But in 2025 I realized that enough time had been spent fighting for a no longer attainable concept of independence. I decided I was fed up fighting against a reality that many of the people I once advocated for lived daily. I decided it was time to find every resource available to me and to ask for the help that I needed. 

In the matter of months I went from desperation to hope. I felt it, my wife felt it and most importantly my children felt it. 

Through beyond generous agencies like Chive Charities, I was able to fund a power wheelchair with supports I didn’t know existed, a travel power wheelchair that opened up experiences I hadn’t had in years and now, thanks specifically to Chive Charities, an adjustable hi-lo medical grade bed that has restored an aspect of my marriage that has been missing for over five years. 

What I have learned is that help is there if we choose to be open to it. I see each organization that partnered with my family over the last year as a miracle. Our needs were far beyond our abilities or even our community’s ability to support. Reaching out to Chive Charities has not only healed my family in powerful ways, it has opened-wide doors that I had convinced myself had been permanently shut by circumstance.

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For more than five years, Matthew slept in a medical recliner separated from his wife, convinced that if he just fought hard enough, he could reclaim the life he once had. But true strength wasn't found in fighting alone. It was found in finally raising his hand and accepting the support he had spent a lifetime helping others find.

Because courage is admitting you can't win the fight by yourself.

And when Matthew finally allowed others into his corner, everything changed. The support of Chive Charities with a community of people who believe in showing up for one another helped restore mobility, dignity, connection, and hope.

Sometimes, the hardest person to fight for is yourself. 

You can help the next person fighting for themselves, too. If you believe in showing up for others who need it most, donate RIGHT HERE.

The Breakdown

Who is Matthew?

Matthew is a lifelong disability advocate and nonprofit founder living with muscular dystrophy who experienced a severe medical setback that dramatically changed his independence and daily life.

What happened to Matthew?

Following complications from surgery, Matthew developed sepsis and was placed in a medically induced coma. When he recovered, he lost significant mobility and independence.

How did Chive Charities help Matthew?

Chive Charities helped provide a medical-grade hi-lo bed that allowed Matthew to leave his recliner and share a bedroom with his wife again. Additional community support helped secure adaptive mobility equipment.

Why is Matthew's story important?

His story highlights the emotional challenge of asking for help, even for people who have spent their lives helping others. It demonstrates how community support can restore dignity, connection, and hope.

How can I help families like Matthew's?

You can support families facing medical and mobility challenges by donating to Chive Charities, following their work on social media, sharing recipient stories, and becoming part of the Chive Charities community.