Matt and Jason were both rushed to the hospital. Matt underwent immedi- ate surgery that resulted in amputation of both his legs at his knees. Jason underwent immediate surgery on his right leg, which is broken, and was treated for fourth degree burns among other injuries. Matt is now home, after 13 surger- ies and 32 pints of blood, tending to the excruciating process of wound care as he heals. He has a long road of recovery and physical therapy ahead of him. But his strong faith and unflappa- ble attitude have him looking ahead to a trip to the Amazon rainforest next year, redirecting nonrefundable fees already paid for a 15-day hiking trip in Nepal, including an overnight at Everest’s base camp that he had planned to embark on September 15. His faith has led him to “not only accept [the situation] but embrace it and claim it as my own,” he says. “It’s my mission. My message is to use this as an opportunity – this is what God gave me to be a witness for him.” He explained that when he goes out in public now, “people don’t know how to act, they look at me,” he said. “I break the ice; I bring it up and make light of it. It helps every- one else.” Interestingly, Matt felt a slight sense of relief after the explosion as the stress of managing four bathroom remodels at some state of bid and design to installation and completion began to melt off him in lieu of just staying alive. Today he is involved as much as his customers need to help find a replace- ment installer and help guide projects to completion. Matt’s new legs As you can imagine, the accident left both men in need of significant financial support. Prostheses for Matt alone are estimated at $100,000, not to mention uncovered medical bills and equipment, immediate home modifications that need to be com- pleted, as well as day-to-day living expenses upon release. Local friends and family – as well as the tile setting community – are rally- ing to assist Matt. Matt’s niece, Dana Felton Reinhard, has set up a Go Fund Me page for donations at https://www. gofundme.com/mattsnewlegs! There is also a You Caring site set up by fellow Tile Geek Zack Bonfilio to support Matt at https://www.youcaring.com/mat- thewfelton-890026. And Noelle Hetzel, a member of an Everest group that Matt belongs to, is part- nering with another Everest member to design and produce wooden pendants and keychains to raise funds for Matt. Go to http:// bit.ly/2umh7Ad to order or contact Noelle at https://www.facebook.com/ noelle.hetzel. Another way to help Matt is to email MattsNewLegs@gmail.com for info on how to directly donate by personal check (mail) or cash, which would be exempt from processing fees associ- ated with Go Fund Me, so Matt would receive more of the donation. Matt’s buddy Jason also needs signifi- Matt has multiple sur- geries ahead of him and needs to fund the cost of prostheses. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– HELPING HANDS TileLetter | November 2017 87