JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — The family of Matthew Silverstone, one of the teens injured in the shooting at Evergreen High, said Wednesday they have “glimmers of hope” that he’ll pull through as he continues to fight for his life a week after the attack.
In a video message obtained by Denver7, Chris Kaler, the victim’s uncle, said it was important for him to speak up, so the world comes to know Matthew not just as a shooting victim, but as “the great, kind, gentle kid that Matthew is.”
The teen was one of two students wounded at Evergreen High after a 16-year-old classmate opened fire before turning the gun on himself. The shooter, whose motive for the shooting remains unknown, died of his injuries that same day.
“For the last week or so, we’ve heard a lot about the shooter, what might or may not have been on his mind, and rather than dwelling on that, we wanted everyone to know about Matthew, that he’s not just the critically injured victim,” said Kaler. “That’s true, but there’s so much more to Matthew than that.”
FAMILY OVERWHELMED BY OUTPOURING OF LOVE
Describing Matthew as someone without a mean bone in his body, his uncle recalled one instance in which the teen’s mother got a call from a teacher, explaining how Matthew jumped into action to help a classmate who fainted in class.
“While everyone else was sort of gawking and watching, Matthew was there holding the kid’s head, talking them through until whoever came to assist him assisted him,” Kaler said. “That’s the kind of kid Mathew is.”
His uncle said the family is overwhelmed by the amount of support Matthew has received not just from family and friends, but “most amazingly, Matthew’s fellow students.”
“Pretty much all of them talk about the kindness, the gentleness, the lovingness of Matthew, but we received a couple that have really stuck out,” Kaler said.
One of the cards described how Matthew was telling people at school to get away from the campus as students were coming back from lunch.
Another card thanked him for his “quick thinking and action” during the attack, according to his uncle.
“So many of us owe our safety to you. It’s truly an honor to be your classmate,” the card reads. “You deserve the world and more. I’m so sorry you have to go through this. No one deserves to have this happen to them.”
But Kaler also said Matthew was just like any other kind of kid his age.
“Matthew is an ordinary teenage boy. He loves to eat. He loves his friends. Almost every day he’s at a skate park until he’s told to go home,” his uncle said.
He said the cards, notes, meals, phone calls, prayers, and messages the family has been receiving have been lifting the family’s spirits despite the boy remaining in critical condition at the hospital.
MATTHEW’S STORY IS ONE OF BEATING THE ODDS
Though they are extremely grateful Matthew survived the shooting, Kaler said the whole family is heartbroken by what happened, especially because doctors have informed them that Matthew will likely require lifelong, full-time care.
“We are coming to grips with what could potentially be a lifelong recovery and all of the needs and extra burdens that's going to put on my sister and are really going to need support from everybody for that,” Kaler said.
In a statement, the family said they anticipate Matthew and his mother, Paige – a single parent who will now need to become his primary caregiver – will be faced with what they described as “extraordinary medical expenses” such as making accessibility modifications at home, acquiring specialized equipment, and accessible transportation.
“No family should have to ask for help in a scenario like this,” his uncle said. “But unfortunately, it’s our new reality.”
Kaler said his sister is going to do everything she can to help in his fight toward recovery. His uncle said Matthew was adopted out of foster care by his mom when he was just 6 months old.
The boy, who was born to a household where there was a lot of abuse, “grew into this just… wonderful, kind, gentle human being,” his uncle said.
Kaler said his story is one of overcoming the odds, and he wants people to know that Matthew is a fighter.
“Every day we have glimmers of hope. We take every little step in the right direction and celebrate it,” he said.
Matthew’s family has launched a fundraiser to help with those expenses. If you’d like to help, you can click here.
“The community’s support — whether through donations, prayers, or simply sharing this fundraiser — means everything to us,” Kaler said.
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