Magic Matty!

Three times a week a young man walks Through Our Door and lights up the Heartwell office and gym! His name is Matthew and we all love his larger than life personality.

Matthew is thirteen and he has a Developmental Delay. When he was a baby, at only eight months of age, Matt had open heart surgery. 

At two and a half, he had a liver tumour removed. 

Matt now has high frequency hearing loss, speech difficulties and low muscle tone.

What having a Developmental Delay means for Matty is that when growing up, he was slower to reach normal growth milestones. This has now affected the way he moves, communicates, thinks, learns, and behaves with others. Yet despite all this Matty is a delight to be with.  He bounces through the Heartwell door ready for his session and with a huge smile on his face. 

Matty loves the exercise equipment and works hard on his skills particularly in basketball and footy (he is a mad Hawthorn fan).

Like other children, Matty will continue to learn but will take longer to acquire new skills. He will learn in a slightly different way, requiring skills to be broken down into smaller, simpler steps and having more repetition and practice.  

Matthew has a cheeky grin, infectious laugh and is constantly interested in everything going on around him. He loves to tell us about what he has been doing, particularly in his cooking classes at school. Often there is a tell tale sign left on his shirt that tells us he loves eating his food creations as well!

Matty has made great progress since being with us. His attitude to activity and involvement has changed for the better and so has his fitness levels. Matthew loves to challenge himself on the stationery bike, where he is convinced he can win the Tour de France.

Matty engages with all the Heartwell kids and loves to give us a big hug when he leaves.

Yes, there is some magic about Matty!

Matty today on the bike.  Peace