Faces Of COVID: Matthew Schweer, 35, Leaves Behind Wife, Two Daughters
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - A 35-year-old father of two is one of Minnesota's latest lives lost to COVID-19. Matthew Schweer died last month after fighting the virus for nearly six weeks in the hospital.
Matt's wife Cassidy Schweer described in her own words the heartbreak which is still hard to comprehend.
How They Met:
"Matt and I met at Concordia University in 2010. I oversaw the university's external rentals side. I ended up painting the field - it was the first year of painting the field and I could not get the paint off and they needed it off for that fall. Afterwards, I would say the rest is history because he guided me along and enjoyed the fact he could watch me struggle the entire time. From there we fell in love and I have him to thank for bringing me to my faith today."
The Man Was:
"Matt was the type of man that if the girls asked Matt to play Barbie's or to watch Star Wars or go ride a bike, Matt dropped everything for them. Matt was a very big outdoorsman. He loved deer hunting, pheasant hunting. He loved camping, his passion for the Boundary Waters was enormous. We took our first family trip to the Boundary Waters in May. Even Elliot, our 3-year-old was carrying a 10-pound pack through the Boundary Waters."
On COVID:
"Matt and I were under the agreement we're not going to live in fear by this. We're not going to stop what we do on a regular basis and we're going to continue living our life with the regulations and following the regulations. Were we 100% in agreement with the regulations? I would say no."
What Happened:
"On Dec. 13 Matt started feeling the illness and he started feeling sick. I started feeling better on Saturday, Dec. 19. Then, Matt started going downhill further. He was admitted to St. Joe's Dec. 21. We were hopeful that he would be cannulated and home by Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, that wasn't the circumstances. I received a call on Dec. 29 that he was being intubated.
"I remember vividly he said daddy's just going to go to sleep for a little while and we'll be back. And I'll be home and we can celebrate our Christmas.
"It was a roller coaster effect. Once Matt got better, Matt started getting more lung infections, there was an infection on top of an infection. It wasn't until Jan. 29 that we did a conference with the care team. They indicated to us that on a scale of one to 10 Matt's about a 9.8 of doing pretty bad. At that time he had a brain bleed, three lung infections, and could not get passed any of that. I had to make the decision to pull him from the machine that day."
Never tThought They'd Be Here:
"This is the last family we thought this would happen to. Hug your family extra tight take that extra minute even though you don't want to. If Matthew were here today he'd say live life to the fullest, take chances, cherish your relationships. Be true and genuine because that's the type of person he was."
Cassidy told WCCO her husband had no underlying health conditions - beyond a love of food and an adult beverage or two. She also praised the care from the doctors and nurses at the University of Minnesota where Matt was transferred and spent the entire month of January before his passing.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Cassidy and her two girls.
