Hi my name is Matt Thola and I have a dream to see the whole world...

     November 27 2004 I bought my first plane ticket to Australia. I remember being so excited flying over Sydney and seeing the Opera house. When I arrived I went and stay at a YHA in Bondi. I got a job at that YHA and I worked there for 6 months. I fell in love with the ocean and took up surfing. 6 months flew by so quickly, before I knew it I was home back in Canada and I felt lost and didn’t know what to do with my life. My brother got me a job at Kal-tire and I decided to work really hard and save all of my money. On New Years day I decided to pack up and head back to Australia. I went skydiving in Sydney for the first time and I loved it, so I went again the following week with some friends. I found a new passion that gave me the urge to experience more excitement in my life. I came home from Australia in April for my brothers wedding and continued to dream the travelling life.

    May 6 2006 started as a normal day. I remember it was a normal day, I was hanging out with a few buddy’s of mine and we decided to go get some beer and go out to a local lake party near Chetwynd B.C. My friend came and picked me up when I was ready. He was driving excessively and lost control hitting a power poll. My life changed over night, the doctor told me that I have a spinal cord injury and that I was never going to walk again. I couldn’t believe it. I thought, “How could this happen to me?” I laid wondering “What now?”, “Where do I go from here?”. After 3 months of surgery and 2 and a half months for rehab I was released from the hospital in Edmonton, I returned to Chetwynd B.C.