A Life Full of Light, Not Defined by Darkness

To know Matt was to love Matt. He was loving, silly, goofy, sweet, light-hearted, and sensitive. With an infectious smile that lit up a room, he always made get-togethers more fun, having the ability to make everyone laugh without even trying. He was kind. He never judged anyone. He  loved  everyone and would do anything to help anyone in need.  Everybody just adored him.

Matt loved being outside, playing sports, and surfing. His passion for sports later became wrestling, and after perfecting this skill in high school, he graduated and began coaching locally. That was his passion. That was where he shined. He loved teaching and cheering the kids on, and they adored him for it. He then joined the Toms River Fire Dept. where he was able to serve his community once again and was truly a gem to all those he served.

Unfortunately, Matthew had suffered a sports injury which put him in chronic pain. He was prescribed pain medication which not only helped relieve the pain but also made him feel good, and he quickly became addicted. After years of addiction, he could not afford to buy these pills and he was offered heroin, which took him down a dark path of no return. Matt tried many times to recover and was even successful at times, but a family history of mental illness was also part of the equation, and he self-medicated to erase the demons.

Yes, Matt was an addict, but above all he was a human being, a beautiful human being with two beautiful daughters, Maya and Zoe, who were his pride and joy. Matt loved his family very much and was truly loved by everyone. He didn’t want to be an addict. He didn’t want to suffer. Nobody does.

In Matthew’s memory and in the memory of all those beautiful humans that have lost their lives to addiction, we must remember to never give up on our loved ones, to continue to love, support, and help them free themselves from addiction and return to the beautiful humans that they are meant to be.