Matthew C.

Matt C., 28 June 7, '81 - January 1, '98 Myocarditis

Bathers remember their teammate and the life he lived
Appeared in the Journal, by staff writer John McTaggart

As a reporter whose job it is to cover the prep tennis scene in Macomb County, I thought most of my stories and columns would be about aces, baseline rallies and overhead smashes.

But when I was told the Mount Clemens tennis team was dedicating the season to a fallen teammate, and learned more about the life and death of Matt C., I just had to share it with our readers.

When Matt C. died last New Year’s Day it left everyone who knew the personable and talented young man asking a simple question – why? Why Matt? Why now?

You see, Matt was the president of the junior class, a member of the tennis team, a member of the National Honor Society and vice president of the Key Club.

He was what everyone wants their son, their grandson, their brother, their friend to be. He was caring, kind, smart, good-looking, popular. The whole nine yards. In short, he had it all. But now he’s gone.

On New Year’s day, (Matt) walked into his bedroom and stared on some homework he wanted to finish before the Rose Bowl. Matt was the type of kid who had his head on straight, friends said. Doing his homework over Christmas break didn’t come as much of a surprise to them at all.

"Matt kept things straight," Brooke H. said of her friend. "He had his priorities in order."

And that’s part of the reason why it’s so hard to accept, so hard to understand, why young (Matt) would never come out of his bedroom that day.

Doctors determined that a rate virus, Myocarditis, had snatched an equally rare young man from this world. There were no signs, no indications, no symptoms, nothing.

So now, his family and friends try to pick up the pieces and find an answer to what should be a simple question – why?

But as anyone how has ever lost a loved one will tell you, it’s not such a simple question. In fact, often there are no reasons, no explanations, no answers. Often, there’s just that haunting question – why?

The truth is, sometimes life just seems to change the rules of the game on us and there’s little anyone can do about it.

Life changed the rules on Matt C., and now he’s gone.

But we, as people, can change the rules a bit, too. We can find ways to preserve the memories, find ways to make sure a spirit lives on.

The C. family has found a way to keep Matt’s spirit alive, as have his friends from the tennis team. This year, the Bathers wore a patch on their shirt to honor (Matt) and dedicated the season to him.

At Mt. Clemens High, a scholarship fund, The Matthew J. C. Memorial Scholarship, has been set up to give another student the chance in life that fate denied Matt C.

"Matt would be real proud," his sister Julie said. "It’s a fitting tribute."

I never met Matt C., never shook his hand or watched him make his way about the tennis court. But I certainly wish I had. Just talking to his friends, his sister, people who had the pleasure of knowing him, people who had the pleasure of making memories with him, makes me feel a bit like I had met him.

Often, when something such as this happens, we lose sight of what was in the vastness of what should’ve been. In a way, we discard the life someone lived, and replace it with thought of all they’ll miss, all we’ll miss. Don’t let this happen when you think of Matt C.

Instead, remember the countless hearts he touched. Remember that because of his scholarship fund, one student will get a chance they might otherwise have not had.

Most of all though, remember the life Matt C. lived, now how brief it was.