Matthew Sammut was a young, promising computer programmer about to begin his university thesis when a motorbike accident changed his life overnight, paralysing him almost completely and robbing him of the ability to speak.
A bright student, the 21-year-old already had employers seeking to recruit him with their company once he graduated but that changed on the evening of August 29, 2019, when he left home on his motorbike to visit his girlfriend.
That was the last time I heard his voice- Matthew's mother Louise Borg
“I remember him walking out the door saying, ‘bye ma, I’m leaving’,” his mother, Louise Borg told Times of Malta. “And I gave him my blessing as I would always do and watched him leave. That was the last time I heard his voice.”
About an hour later, Louise received a telephone call informing her that Matthew had been involved in a road accident on Aldo Moro Road, Marsa. She did not know how bad it was until they went to hospital and discovered he had crashed and hit his head.
“The impact was so huge that it rattled his head, causing most of his nerves to disconnect from the brain. Even the crash helmet broke,” Louise said. “He was wearing a protective jacket and trousers and we believe that’s why he made it out alive because, otherwise, he would have probably died.”
Matthew, who is now 25, can still move his eyes, smile and use some of his face muscles but he cannot walk, lost almost all his ability to move and has not been able to speak a word since the accident.
Matthew with his mother, father and brother, who have had to adjust to a new family life.'A son who can't call you'
“It is unbelievably hard to have a son who cannot even call you,” Louise said. “Before the accident, he had made and uploaded some YouTube videos about computing and we sometimes go online and listen to them over and over again, just so that we can hear his voice.”
On his YouTube channel, Matthew would post IT tutorial videos explaining easy-to-understand problem-solving methods on a personal computer.
Louise is only now comfortable speaking about the accident because her family spent the first few months in great shock and struggling with the staggering trauma. Accepting the situation and adjusting family life to the new reality was no easy journey, she said.
“He was able to do everything until he became unable to even use a computer and it happened overnight. Even his personality changed,” Louise said, adding that he was a bicycle enthusiast when he was younger and led a very active lifestyle.
“He’s another person now. It’s like the Matthew we knew died with the accident. That’s how different his personality is now.”
She said the family also developed a simple but effective communication strategy. When Matthew wants to answer ‘yes’ to a question, he blinks. ‘No’ is a raise of his eyebrows. It is surprisingly effective, his mother said, but it does not allow Matthew to express more complex feelings.
“It is very worrying and frustrating to not know what he is feeling and not be able to tell what kind of pain he might be in,” Louise said. “I would often think of a time when I might not be around anymore and I would worry how he will be able to communicate his needs.”
Matthew using the eye-gaze device to communicate with his parents.'It has become his new voice'
That changed drastically last September when Matthew began to use a high-end, custom-made computer device that reads his eye movements, understands what he wants to say and speaks for him. The device tracks his eye movements so that he can select letters or pre-scripted sentences by directing his gaze on them for a certain time.
The device resembles a regular tablet and was manufactured and tailor-made for Matthew overseas. Similar devices are especially useful to help non-verbal or blind people and children who are on the autism spectrum to improve communication using pictures and sounds. Matthew also uses the device to browse the internet and chat with friends online.
My wish is to listen to him speak again but I know that is very difficult- Louise Borg
“It has become his new voice,” Louise said. “We are still learning how to use it to its full potential and Matthew is training every day but the results are hopeful.”
The eye gaze device, which costs just as much as a new small car, was donated to Matthew by the Malta Trust Foundation, an organisation founded and run by former president Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca which, among other initiatives, helps acquire the extremely expensive technologies for families in Malta who need them. Costs of the device vary but Matthew’s was around €14,000.
Louise said the introduction of the device in her son’s life, coupled with daily therapeutic care at Inspire – a foundation that supports individuals with various disabilities – is yielding small but steady, significant and very encouraging results.
“My wish is to listen to him speak again but I know that is very difficult,” she said. “But, thanks to the Malta Trust Foundation’s invaluable organisation, we have great hope. Anyone who can help, even in the least way, will be doing a lot because even a small donation from many people can drastically change lives of people like my son.”
The foundation is holding a 12-hour fundraising telethon from 11am until 11pm today to raise more funds to be able to buy more devices for children and families who need them.
The telethon will be broadcast on all local television stations.