6 minute read
After Iraq: How Matt Made the Journey Home
Story and photos by Ashley Estill
This story originally appeared in the 2011 issue of The Patriot magazine from Fisher House Foundation
Private 1st Class Matthew Zajac and his father Michael Zajac graced the cover of the Fisher House brochure for years. Here, is Matt’s voyage from his days of being deployed to being injured to recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center, in San Antonio, Texas. It’s an inspirational ending to his military journey, and the beginning of many more.
“I’m alive,” said Private 1st Class Matthew Zajac recently at a charity concert for Fisher House at Billy Bob’s in Dallas. “That’s pretty much the biggest thing.”
Ever optimistic, Zajac has taken huge strides mentally and physically since arriving at the Brooke Army Medical Center in 2007. His difficult journey began on May 3, 2007 after his Humvee was ambushed near the southside of Baghdad, Iraq, during a raid which caused Zajac to lose both of his legs and severely damage his right arm.
Riding in the lead truck on the raid, Zajac did not know how serious his injuries were. Awake the entire time during the blast, Zajac was temporarily blind, except for a few feet in front of his face. The blurred vision did not help his efforts to free himself from the vehicle.
“When the explosion happened, I could feel my legs burning really bad and then it stopped,” he recalled. “When it stopped, I knew I had a problem because it burned past the nerve endings on my legs. I knew I was in rough shape.”
Zajac’s legs weren’t his only problem; his right arm was in bad shape as well. Attempting to pull himself out; his right arm was not performing. Then he saw the hole blown through his hand and the severe blood loss he was suffering.
Holding on to his life, Zajac struggled to remain conscience as he arrived in the Baghdad hospital for surgery. There he had surgery to clean up his wounds and get “rid of what couldn’t be saved as far as legs go.” Then doctors prepped him for arrival at Joint Base Balad, also in Iraq, then for transfer to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. From Landstuhl, a medical evacuation flight would take Zajac to Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston in Texas for treatment.
Starting the Recovery Process
Zajac’s dad, Michael, was at the hospital when his son came out of his first— of many—surgeries. Mike stayed at a Fisher House and remained there for over a year to help his son during his recovery.
“They were dealing with my infections; my hand; the burns, everything,” Zajac said. “Through it all my father was there and stayed with me in my hospital room for a month and a half.”
The combination of Zajac’s pain killers caused him to have issues sleeping throughout the night; and when he finally fell asleep, he would wake up not knowing where he was.
“I really needed my dad there,” Zajac said. “He was the anchor that tied me back to reality.”
Mike would spend the night at the hospital with his son, only leaving for an hour at a time to return to the Fisher House to clean up. Eventually as his son’s health progressed, Mike spent a little more time at the Fisher House, still remaining close to his son.
“If my dad wasn’t there, you know I have no idea what I would have done,” Zajac said. “I didn’t know what I was doing there. My recovery time in the hospital would have been substantially longer.”
Moving Into the Fisher House
Eventually Zajac was progressing well enough to move into the Fisher House with his dad. Still having out-patient surgeries and conducting physical therapy, Zajac was not completely independent yet. He still didn’t have use of his right hand and only had a prosthetic on his left leg. Because Zajac lost his right leg at the hip, it was a much more difficult process to fit a prosthetic on that side.
Mike was around to help keep track of his son’s medication and help treat his burns. With one functioning hand and burns on his back, Zajac needed his father’s help.
“I didn’t even have the ability to focus on a TV show, so somebody had to keep track of my medication and change my burn dressings,” he said.
“If it weren’t for having that room at Fisher House, I would have been in the hospital for months longer,” Zajac continued. “They were great at the hospital, but it wasn’t where I wanted to be. It was great to have my dad take care of me.”
Barracks, Off Post and Beyond
In the beginning of 2008, Zajac moved to a room at the barracks to gain some of his independence back. He was in a power wheelchair because he still had almost no use of his right hand; but the transitioning process had begun.
Matthew Zajac and his father Michael Zajac at the 2011 Warrior Games.
The dorm-like setting allowed Zajac to take care of himself a bit, while still having his father nearby. After a few more months, Zajac could function independently quite well. Zajac moved out of the barracks and into an apartment off post. Mike made sure his son was well enough to function independently before he said goodbye and went back home to New Mexico.
Once Zajac was finally ready to go home, he looked for and decided to live in an apartment in New Mexico, about an hour away from his dad. Back to being independent, it was awkward at first, but Zajac appreciated finally being on his own.
“The very first thing I did was get recertified for scuba diving. At that point I didn’t have a right leg yet, but despite being a little uncomfortable, I got the hang of it,” he said.
Rock climbing and sky diving are also on his list of growing achievements.
Zajac’s progress didn’t stop with diving and climbing. Medically retired from the Army, he didn’t want to sit around and do nothing. After military life, a 9-to-5 desk job wasn’t for him. He now attends New Mexico State University, enrolled in the mechanical engineering program. Half man, half machine as he declares, engineering seemed like an obvious fit.
“That was a long time ago. I can see the stress in our faces, particularly my father’s. We were going through a lot of stress at the time,” Zajac said. “There’s a world of difference between then and now.”
Looking Back
Coming full circle, Zajac is doing remarkably well, maintaining an attitude that most wish for.
“I get a little frustrated,” he admitted. “It doesn’t come easy, but I try to keep in mind that anything worth doing in life is worth the effort you put into it. I’ve seen a lot of people not do anything for fear that they will fail. It’s life. That’s the way it is. I don’t stop wanting to do things because I can’t move as easy as I used to. The world doesn’t stop because I’m not as swift as I once was.”
Throughout Zajac’s entire ordeal, his father always reminded him that they would be okay. Not knowing what the next day would bring, Mike promised his son that they would figure it out together.
“Dad said I could do anything,” Zajac recalled. “He always said, ‘You’ll do it.’ I got an amazing amount of support from him. He always said I would be fine.”
