Seven Years On... the Journey of Matthew Ames
“We had argued for a chance of life. The children needed to know we had done everything. He needed the opportunity to see them grow up. We believed he could cope with the choice we were asking him to live with. We knew we would be there as a family and community to support him. It feels like a lifetime ago and yesterday at the same time. And aren’t we grateful.” – Matthew’s family
Queensland father of four, Matthew Ames is a 1:99 chance survivor of toxic shock caused by Streptococcus A – normally harmless bacteria that can turn fatal if it gets into the bloodstream. The story of Matthew’s pathway from that life changing event seven years ago through to today is shared in this moving video.
Twenty years after Matthew and his wife Diane fell in love at university, he came down with what he thought was a bout of flu. But after four trips to doctors, the infection continued to spread. Matthew was critically ill, one arm was amputated and then within a short time Diane was asked if she wanted to give her husband a tiny one percent chance of survival by removing his remaining limbs. Matthew’s family gave their consent knowing that Matthew had an incredible fighting spirit.
In 2014, his remarkable story was laid out in the memoir ‘Will to Live’, written by his sister Kate based on extensive interviews with Matthew and Diane. Since that time, Matthew has continued with great optimism and with the wonderful support of Diane and his young family.
He says, “Everything I do from the moment I wake up each day involves some form of device. My bionics are part of me. They need to be expertly designed, locally sourced, easy to repair and masterfully programmed to help me live life to the full. This requires great communication, expertise and collaboration between many bionics industry professionals. There are still many challenges to overcome and improved devices will transform not just my life, but the lives of many.”
An environmental engineer, Matthew has personally investigated bionic solutions around the world and pursued continued improvements in his prosthetic limbs. To see a further video about Matthew’s experiences of patient care and hear his thoughts on the benefits that could come from digital transformation of healthcare (e-health data and e-referrals):
