To New Mexico from Wyoming
4 Comments Published by David Blanton on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 at 11:00 AM.
Cameraman Tyler “Squeedunk” Viars (it’s a Cherokee name and we don’t know what it means) and I landed last Friday, September 5 in Albuquerque just in time for the five o’clock rush hour traffic! Trying to head north to Cimarron which lies in the Northeast corner of the state to hunt elk with Rodney Prince of Rawhide Outfitters, Inc., battling traffic for an hour or two just to get out of town!
Finally, we rolled into town around 10 pm and anxiously awaited the next morning’s elk hunt. Rodney met us at the motel around 6 am and we headed out. It wasn’t 15 minutes later and we’re standing outside the truck listening to elk bugle in the distance! It was awesome!
More on the hunt in another blog but let me tell you about something else that was awesome. We were sitting in a little restaurant one night after the hunt was over and this guy and girl walk in to order “take out” and our waitress mentioned that they were from Boston and they were the “team” that was escorting Matt, as he rode in his wheelchair, across country from Boston to California! And he’s on life support!
Well, I couldn’t stand it, so I walked over to them and introduced myself and asked to hear more about their cause. They gladly informed me of what they were doing and told me that Matt was 31 years old, had a severe form of Muscular Dystrophy, and they decided to support Matt as he followed his dream to ride his wheelchair all the way across the United States!
They informed me that they had stopped 16 miles south of Cimarron to spend the night and would be coming through town the next day around 1pm. That was perfect! I wanted to meet Matt and hear the rest of the story.
So the next day I had a chance to meet Matt and the entire entourage of Danielle, Ron and Jay.
Basically, they decided that too many people in our country or “institutionalized” and miss out on living a good life because of this terrible disease and they wanted to show everyone that the quality of life can be improved!
Matt covers 20 miles on one charge of the batteries on his wheelchair, they stop midday to recharge and then go another 15-20 miles that afternoon before calling it a day. The wheelchair goes 6 mph.
He started on the end of a dock in the Boston Harbor and, tentatively, are scheduled to end up in Long Beach, CA! The total trip should take them around four months.
They’ve seen it all and Matt even said that deer along the way would actually run alongside his wheelchair!
He has endured every type of weather you can imagine and wraps up in his Boston RedSox blanket since he is a huge fan of the RedSox!
Needless to say I was inspired! You’ll have to watch the episode of Realtree Outdoors next season to see my interview with him.
This will make you think.
That is Awesome David, Can't wait to hear and see more on this. Sometimes the hunt is not always the best part of the adventure.
Thanks for being yourself and talking with this guy, Very neat story.- Craig Dilbeck/Dalton
David,
It says a lot about a man when he can recognize courage in someone else facing adversity. Matt's story struck a deep cord within me. I am suffering from Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. Luckily I was able to take the first drug approved for this type of MS. So far I have been physically able to enjoy hunting on my small 50 acres here in NY. I hope to take as many hunting trips as I can before my disease catches up. Seeing what Matt has done despite his 'limitation' inspires me to keep going no matter the outcome. Thank you for bringing his story to light.
Matt DeVisser from Savannah, NY
Hey David,
That's awesome. You don't always have to kill something to have a great time. Can't wait to hear and see more about this story. Talk to ya later.
God Bless & Good Huntin'
Kristle Oberlander
David
Thank you for shareing Matt's story. There are many people, like Matt, in this world that need to hear these kinds of stories to bring their spirits up. Most people that have been blessed with "good health" in life just arn't aware of what others have to endure in those types of situations. I thank God for Matt and his cause. It takes a strong man to even try to accomplish such an endevor. I am sure Matt has touched many lives on his trip and I am glad yours was one of them. I'm sure Matt's life was touched by you, as we all are, for you telling his story. So again thank you for giving us a feeling of hope in rough times. From all the people in simmilar situations to Matt and his family's. God Bless.
Jim, Jacksonville Fl (go Gators)