Matthew was born prematurely with many respiratory issues and required a tracheostomy tube at 4 months of age. He spent 18 months in hospital before there were Home Care nurses to watch him at night. He was on a ventilator for over two years until he was strong enough to breathe on his own. Because of the tracheostomy tube he cannot speak, but he can hear and does communicate with others using sign language. Spending so much of his early life in a hospital and connected to a ventilator at home has severely delayed his physical development.

Trips on the LRT or up and down elevators are still scary for Matthew, so we couldn't possibly take him to Disneyland. Traveling is also difficult with all the extra equipment and nurses. We spoke with his Physio-Therapist and she suggested something to help him with walking and playing to help with his motor skills. In the end we decided on a backyard playground with rubber tire crumb underneath to keep everyone safe.


Caterpillar sent a local operator over to remove the topsoil and level the yard in preparation for the tire crumb. We then spread the tire crumb out 8 inches deep over most of our back yard. The following day, our friends and family joined us and built the entire playground in one day. There were people all over our yard building and kids playing on the parts that had been built. It was very heart-warming experiences to have everyone give up a day of the Labour Day long weekend to help build Matthew's Playground.

We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Jersey City for adopting Matthew's wish. We'd also like to thank the staff of the Make A Wish Foundation, Alberta Environmental Products, Rosenau Transport, Caterpillar, Fiddler's Green Landscaping, K.T. Excavating, and all our friends and family that have helped us make Matthew's wish come true.

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