Brian Mastromatteo Brian Strong

The following website has been created for the sole purpose of creating a community to cheer and inspire Brian to a full recovery from his stroke.  We wanted to have a centralized place to post updates regarding his recovery process, as well as a place for Brian to be inspired to persevere throughout his entire journey.  Brian is strong and he will be even stronger with all of his loved ones continuing to cheer him on.  There is no need to donate any money.  The associated fees have been settled.  Please, just be a part of our movement to inspire Brian by writing “well wishes” as often as possible. Thank you!

At approximately 5:30 am on Thursday morning of May 20th, Brian woke up with chest pain and no ability to move his entire left side.   Somehow he managed to use his ox like strength on his right side of his body to get the limp left side of his body down the stairs to call 911.  While Brian was on the phone with 911 in distress, one of his best friends, a female state police officer, listened in despair.  Brian was quickly designated  VIP status from her phone calls to the paramedics.  Further relying on his own internal strength, Brian found a way to crawl over and open the door for the paramedics. While waiting for the paramedics to arrive, Brian also managed to call his neighbors across the street. Fortunately for Brian, the woman across the street happened to be a nurse.  Responding to Brian’s call, the woman immediately grabbed her toddler and ran across to assist Brian.  Knowing what to do, she gave him aspirin and gathered all of his medication information to give to the paramedics upon arrival.  

Brian was brought to the Emergency Department of Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth Massachusetts.  After having some preliminary tests in the Emergency Department, Brian was admitted to the general floor of the hospital.  While getting an EKG for further medical assessment, Brian’s blood pressure suddenly dropped  and his heart arrested, requiring resuscitation and intubation.  The doctor who resuscitated and intubated Brian happened to be a very close family friend. Having many rotating shifts at various hospitals, it was a blessing  that our dear friend was there at that specific time and that specific hospital. He and the other members of his medical team literally saved Brian’s life and we are forever indebted.  

Brian was admitted to the ICU and heavily sedated for stabilization.  Brian’s immediate family members were notified and waited anxiously in the waiting room for further news.  Our dear doctor friend came promptly to our side to provide us comfort and as much information as possible.  Later tests confirmed the ICU’s theory that Brian had a seizure that cut off his airway which led to the arrest of his heart.  Brian remained in the ICU that night with a breathing tube in place and heavy sedation that was weaned off slowly throughout the night.  

The following morning we received word that our prayers had been answered and Brian had remained stable through the night. Brian made significant progress that day with stable vital signs, the removal of his breathing tube, and uttering words to communicate his essential needs.  Later that night, to our delight, he had the strength to eat chicken and mashed potatoes.  The following three days included steady progress, where Brian mustered the strength to get out of bed, with a two person assist,  eat his meals throughout the day, and remain alert and communicative.  Brian currently remains in the ICU, as he waits for a bed to open in general admission.