Bucks Co. Man Critically Ill In Ireland On Road To Recovery

MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP, PA —On Tuesday, Matthew Small went to the gym and took a short ride on his motorcycle.

That might be the typical activity for any 21-year-old.

But Small spent four to five weeks in a coma in Ireland after going on a family trip there over the Christmas holiday and then becoming critically ill when a common cold turned into pneumonia and then Influenza-A.

"I didn't realize that when I first woke up in the hospital," Small told Patch in a recent interview with his mother after returning home two weeks ago. "I thought I was in the hospital 6-8 hours."

Small's mother Sandra didn't think her son —who spent his 21st birthday in the hospital —would make it.

"It was really touch-and-go for the first 48 hours," she said. "My husband and I were discussing funeral arrangements."

These days, Small's schedule is filled with doctor appointments. He lost 60 pounds and he and his family have no idea how he got so sick when Small never really had much of a history of illness.

"It's a medical mystery," Small said. "There was no underlying condition. It was just a freak situation."

Small will undergo a cardiac MRI since his heart was damaged and is now repairing itself, Small and his mother said.

His mother would do almost-daily posts on a GoFundMePage created by a family friend.

Eventually, Small began to recover.

Luckily, the family had relatives in Ireland —Sandra's sister lives there —where they could remain for months. Matthew's father Greg is a Falls Township police detective.

When Small did awake, he craved Wawa hoagies and drinks. He couldn't wait to get home for that and after losing so much weight, Small might have a lot of hoagies to eat.

"They're like a comfort food," said Small, a motorcycle enthusiast who has spent some time taking out his bike for rides, changing the oil, and doing "slow stuff."

Two weeks ago when he returned home, Small was welcomed by 40 motorcyclists at the entrance to Route 13, where he received an escort from the Middletown, Falls, and Bristol township police departments to his home.

"It was definitely a homecoming," Small said. "I didn't expect all the cards and prayers and well wishes."

Small wants to spend time restoring his health and getting back to where he was before the illness. He graduated from Bucks County Community College with an associate's degree in graphics design and would like to pursue a bachelor's degree.

One might think that Small would not want to return to Ireland given his extended stay in a hospital. But that's not the case.

"I've been going there since I was 2," he said. "Since I got sick over there, I experienced the culture on a different level."

Small believes he's changed and isn't maybe that typical 21-year-old.

"Beforehand, I was stereotypical," Small said. "It was all doom and gloom. Having survived this, I have a new appreciation and drive. I want to try new things. I'm going to see stuff on the lighter side."

Sandra Small said the prayers were much-needed to get her son home and on the road to recovery also with the GoFundMe page that was started by her neighbor.

"In a world that's so chaotic, it renews your faith in humanity," she said.