Surviving trauma: How one man came close to death and lived to tell about it

BETHLEHEM, Pa — Matthew Urban’s 21st birthday is one his family will never forget. But not for the right reasons.

Urban's celebration ended in trauma.

• Lehigh Valley Health Network honored trauma survivors and their families on National Trauma Survivors Day
• One man shared his story of survival and how he copes with lingering effects
• At a special event, four people and their families were celebrated for their recovery

"His friend came to the door at 1 a.m. and was knocking on our door pretty heavily, and I knew it wasn't Matt because he just wouldn't do that," Urban's mother, Cassandra, said.

"I knew something was wrong.”

Urban, of Northampton, celebrated at Bethlehem's Musikfest festival with friends and ended up on the side of the road later that August night.

He had shared his location settings with friends earlier that day and when his friend’s noticed his location had stopped, they knew something was wrong.

"Crashed the bike, brain trauma, broke my back, broke my foot, broke my nose, apparently, a lot of stuff,” said Urban, who lived to tell about his experience.

A team from Lehigh Valley Health Network was called to the scene to assist Urban, who immediately needed back surgery. He then spent a month in the ICU.

"I was in a back brace and neck brace," he said. "You know, IV'd up, but I didn't really know what was happening, like I was kind of out of the loop."'

'Just really excited to see them back'

Now, Urban's story is being shared by those at Lehigh Valley Health Network-Muhlenberg to show support and honor trauma survivors and their families.

On Wednesday evening, four survivors, including Urban, were celebrated.

"We selected four special survivors who came into our hospital and had very good outcomes and we're just really excited to see them back," said Maria Wescoe, trauma prevention coordinator for Lehigh Valley Health Network-Muhlenberg.

Wescoe said they chose Wednesday evening because it was National Trauma Survivors Day.

“It's a national day that the American Trauma Society put together, starting in 2008, to honor their program [called] the trauma survivors network,” she said.

Wescoe said LVHN works closely with the trauma survivors network, which provides resources to their patients when they come in for emotional support and make sure that they get the right support groups.

"I think their lives are changed forever," Wescoe said. "So how we help them mentally with their mental health and their support is really important while they're patients and while they're following up.”

'We've all stuck together'

Wescoe said the hospital network honors the patients' families, as well, because they need to be the support for people going through a traumatic experience.

Urban said his family has helped him tremendously and attributed his successful recovery to his support system. His mother said they’ve been there every step of the way.

"We've all stuck together," Cassandra Urban said. "Matt's definitely a forward positive thinking person, so that really helped. We knew he wanted to get better and we were there to support them any way we could to help them get better.”

Along with Urban, LVHN honored:

• Joan Robbins, 90, of Wyoming, Luzerne County. Robbins fell in her son’s garage and suffered a broken hip.
• John Biondo, 59, of Hellertown, Northampton County. A vehicle suddenly turned in front of his motorcycle and in the crash with it, he suffered serious injuries, including to his chest wall.
• Thomas Ruck, 31, of Effort, Monroe County. He was airlifted to LVH–Muhlenberg after his car hit a utility pole in November.

"You really have to trust in the science and understand that these nurses and doctors know what they're doing," Urban said. "That's the whole point of why they got this qualification and certification."

Less than 10 months since his accident, Urban has made a full recovery. He has returned to work and is living a healthy life since.