Resident Spotlight: Mat K.

Mat K. was born and raised in Kansas City. As a successful sales professional, Mat has always led an active lifestyle, from work functions to social events, he has never been one to sit still. A large part of Mat’s active lifestyle has always been his commitment to staying fit whether it be through high school and college sports or more recently in the past five years through his passion for CrossFit.

Mat’s active routine came to a halt after sustaining a life changing neck injury while at a bachelor party in Nashville, TN this summer. The injury required extensive neck surgery and he was told that he was just millimeters away from never being able to walk again. With that information, Mat decided he could either stay on the couch and be miserable or he could focus on the positive and get moving again.

Mat returned to work just one week after his surgery and began exercising by walking to Union Station and back just two weeks after his surgery. Three weeks post-surgery, Mat was at the Union Hill Athletic Club lifting weights and squatting 95 pounds. For someone that had all the excuses in the world to stay home, Mat decided to do the opposite. He was impressed with the club’s equipment and enjoyed the privacy that the club provided. It was never too packed or busy which made for the perfect environment to start off his recovery process.

Mat knows he may never get back to the fitness level he was at prior to the accident but he is thankful to have a new perspective on being physically fit. He is extremely thankful for his ability to walk and eat, both of which were initially difficult after his surgery. Mat went from being able to squat 500 pounds to squatting 95 pounds, three weeks after his surgery. He is focusing on what he can do, not what he can’t do, and hopes to make nearly a full recovery within a year.