This is an article I wrote for The Phoenix on July 20, 2007...
State Trooper Overcomes Amputation, Back on the Job
To look at Matt Swartz now, one wouldn’t think of anything special. Typical New York State
Trooper. Matt covers many small towns in upstate New York, near Albany, patrolling some
towns so small, they don’t even have their own local police departments.
But Matt is anything but ordinary, both as a cop and a person.
On a typically chilly fall morning in 2004 Matt was driving to work when another driver made a
sudden, sharp turn and rammed into Matt’s pickup truck on a winding, isolated road. Matt’s
truck flipped over. His left leg was so badly mangled from the accident that doctors decided to
amputate below the knee.
All in an instant, Matt’s entire life had changed.
His parents were small town cops too, and often, Matt would be in the backseat of his father’s
police car when his dad would receive a call to duty, and instead of heading home from school,
Matt would be there to witness an arrest or watch his father simply break up a domestic dispute
.
Still, Matt had a dream of someday becoming an architect. But there was no money for college.
So after high school, Matt joined the National Guard. His plan was to ease into an engineering
program through the military, but ironic circumstances led to Matt becoming a police officer in
the military for six years.
When he got out of the service he decided to remain a police officer, so he applied for an
opening near Albany, near his hometown. He was a one-man army, often patrolling lonely and
isolated towns alone
.
Matt had always been in great physical shape. He was a hurdler and high-jumper in high school.
His physical body was never a problem and he used his strength - and especially his legs -
without even thinking.
Now, after the accident, he was suddenly staring at an angry stump five inches below his left
knee.
But instead of bitterness and resentment, Matt went into a reflective mode, asking “OK, what
next? How am I going to get past this?”
His dream of becoming an architect had eerily come true. He was determined to rebuild his own
body, which he deemed to be “a wreck” after the accident. Matt was approved for disability
retirement, but he wanted to try and return to work
.
He knew the rules and regulations of the New York State police. No light duty. He was well
aware of the demands if he wanted to return to full-time duties.
And yet here he was, barely able to stand without a walker.
As he was being fitted for a prosthetic leg and learned to walk again, his fellow troopers were
donating vacation days so he could pay escalating medical bills
.
Despite his determination, heart and courage, many secretly thought his career was over. He was
in denial, and needed to prove to himself that he couldn’t do police work anymore go on
disability and find another career.
But all Matt wanted was a chance. He knew what it took to wrestle suspects to the ground, climb
fences, dash through fields and carry crash victims to safety. He knew what he had to do in order
to work as a police officer again
.
Often working through pain and tears, Matt had a rehab plan. He made lists of small, obtainable
goals - one month walking without a cane, the next month swimming, the next, running on a
treadmill.
“When you can run a mile-and-a half, call me.” his captain advised
.
By the following month, both Matt and his captain were jogging together on a local high school
track. Soon, Matt was out-running his partner, and even competed in a 5k race
.
While recuperating, Matt did his research. It was 11 months since his crash, so he had time to
read. He read about young, Iraq war veterans who had come home as amputees. He realized that
in the 80-year history of the New York State police, no one had ever returned to full and
strenuous duty after such an accident
.
He filed the papers to return to duty, expecting a long wait, half dreading a court fight. His fears
and doubts haunted him. He was only an average trooper before. Nothing special. Was it even
right to expect a chance?
Meanwhile, he learned that 40 police amputees from across the country were back on duty. He
wasn’t alone. He had hope. Matt contacted his fellow officers, exchanging tips, or just venting.
He also contacted many Iraq amputees for encouragement and inspiration.
After being cleared to return to duty by a state-contracted physician, Matt was a state trooper
again.
Aside from his work, Matt also volunteers as a ski instructor in the Catskill Mountains for
disabled children and soldiers. He calls it “pay back.” He has been there before.
Now, when Matt approaches a car, no one knows he is approaching with a carbon-fiber and
titanium left leg. He is simply a police officer.
“Typical day”, he often says. “Just riding around, waiting for something to happen.” And so glad
he is back to the same old routine..
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