“I owe a debt to ORMC and the trauma team,” said Darren Manzari, Matt’s father. “They did everything they possibly could to allow us to have our son. And to allow him to live the life he’s going to live.”

Like most patients who receive treatment at the ORMC Level One Trauma Center, Matt Manzari and his family never thought they’d need to spend time there.

Born premature, Matt spent his early life fighting to survive. He more than survived – he thrived as a child and teenager. Extreme water sports were his passion. As a professional wake skater, Matt defied the odds (and gravity) with jumps and tricks.

He also met the love of his life, Bobbye Jean, as a teenager. The two married young and began to start their own family.

And then the unexpected happened. In June 2014, while trimming trees outside of his church, Matt was electrocuted.

“The pastor from the church called me and said there was an accident and I could hear in his voice that things weren’t good,” Darren recalled. “I said ‘Jeff, I need to know, is my son dead?’”

Before they knew it, Matt and Bobbye Jean’s families were anxiously waiting at ORMC to hear news about the extent of his injuries.

“They were very professional and honest with us about whether Matt’s going to make it,” Dan, Matt’s father-in-law, added.

Fortunately for Matt and his family and friends, he was being treated at the region’s only Level One Trauma Center.

“They had somebody who was qualified to perform a special surgery where they would
Relieve pressure from the swelling in the arms. They had someone who knew how to deal with how that would affect his hands,” Dan said. “They had somebody who was able to make those decisions in order to save his life.”

While Matt spent months at ORMC recovering from his burns and injuries and going through extensive rehabilitation, he and Bobbye Jean were also anxiously awaiting the arrival of their baby boy. After being home for nearly three months, Matt and Bobbye Jean welcomed their son into the world in January 2015.

Without your support for ORMC and the Trauma Center, Matt would not have survived this horrific accident. Because of your support for ORMC, we have been able to continue to enhance our care and maintain this vital asset for the health of the Central Florida community.

With your generous gifts, we have been able to secure lifesaving technologies, such as a new ultra fast CT scanner, located just steps away from the trauma bay. Also, your support has enabled us to enhance our healing environment, by creating larger rooms and the construction of a new trauma intensive care unit in the new tower at ORMC.

Because of you, our donors and sponsors, Matt is able to hold his new son and will be able to enjoy watching him grow for years to come. Thanks to you, the Manzari family is whole.