Maggie had recently come back from living in Alberta, but only got the chance to see Matt for a few minutes before he was out the door.

“That’s how he always was. In and out, always on the go,” she says. “He never felt like he was where he was supposed to be, I think.”

Matt’s life wasn’t without its challenges. He got into trouble when he was younger and involved with people and things he shouldn’t. But he was turning his life around. He wanted to be a better father.

“We just couldn't really trust anything that he said for a while, but you could tell that there was still some, like, the good was in him,” says Maggie.

That light was starting to show. Maggie recalls a conversation with one of Matt’s friends after the accident, where the friend told her how proud he was to be there for his son. And about his regrets of not being there for his daughter more. Something he was trying to change.

Maggie says Matt was really proud of his work as a roofer, and proud that he was able to commit to the job, something he had trouble with in his younger years.

Shawn and Maggie both say that Matt wanted to be a hero. So it was bittersweet that his lungs were used to help save another man’s life.

After Matt’s passing, the family received a message that his lungs were successfully used in a transplant.

There will be a celebration of life in Matt’s honour on July 27 at the Elora Community Centre.

The family would like to thank the Mark Preece Family House for their support over the last two weeks. They encourage anyone who was inspired by Matt to donate to that organization.

The last thing Matt posted on Facebook was an inspirational video. It’s a parable about holding in stress and negative emotions, and why it’s important to let things go.

“If we don’t heal the pain of our past, we’ll bleed all over the future,” reads the caption below the video.