A Quality Life: Matt's Palliative Care Story

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Matt is about to start another abstract painting. With classic rock music blasting in the background, he holds the brush between his lips, steadies his neck and presses the brush against the canvas. A few months ago, Matt, 38, wouldn’t have believed you if you told him he’d be painting again. 14 years ago, a severe car accident left him paralyzed from the upper chest down. While his diaphragm wasn’t paralyzed in the accident, it was weakened significantly, which has caused Matt to have breathing problems that have grown progressively worse over time. Those issues coupled with severe nerve pain and the emotional stress of dealing with the traumatic events of the accident have be a daily struggle. After a recent 13-week hospitalization for low oxygen saturation, Matt and his family asked if there was something more that could be done to help with the many symptoms involved with his physical issues. They asked for palliative care. Hosted by Dan Altano