AKRON, Ohio–It’s a bittersweet day for Ed Slattery.
A year ago, his wife, Susan, was killed in a semi-truck accident on the Ohio Turnpike. She was 47 years old.
Susan and her sons Peter and Matthew were visiting family in the Cleveland area. They were on their way home back to Maryland.
“I don’t even know if I’ve even begun to grief Susan’s loss yet,” Ed said. “But I’ve been so deeply immerse in Matthew’s care that whether he was going to live or not, whether he was going to talk again, whether he was going to eat again.”
Peter and Matthew sustained severe injuries from the crash.
Peter, 17, spent a few days in intensive care, whereas doctors weren’t sure if Matthew, 13, would make it.
“Matthew couldn’t speak. He could barely do anything but move a finger,” said Dr. Michael Bigham of Akron Children’s Hospital. “But today he has a personality, he was joking. He’s off the breathing machine.
Bigham said Matthew’s progress is nothing short of a miracle.
“It’s my treat today when the doors opened that Matthew walked into the hospital,” he said. “That’s about as moving as a moment could be. It was spectacular to see.”
As a thank you to the hospital that helped treat his sons, Ed donated $100,00 for the Peter and Matthew Slattery Fund, which will be used to provide financial resources for patients requiring additional rehabilitation services, such as physical, occupational, speech, expressive and other therapies, after insurance coverage ends.
Ed said Dollar, Burns & Becker L.C., a law firm located in Kansas City, Mo., will be contributing $10,000 to the new fund.
“It is a celebration of our boys, Peter and Matthew,” Ed said. “Mommy and I love you. More than you’ll ever know. And any parent knows what that feels like. Your mom shines through you through every minute of every day. I see her in your smile. I see you in her determination.”
Flipping through pictures on his laptop, Ed fondly thinks of his wife.
“Uh, oh, someone’s in trouble,” he laughs, pointing to a picture of Susan grinning at the camera.
Ed continues to wear his wedding ring–but the one next to it means more. He wears Susan’s wedding band, keeping her close to his side.
“The only time I was out of the hospital for that month, I took it to a jeweler, had it resized to fit my hand,” he said. “It feels very natural. It feels right.”