When news broke about Mat the Alien's horrific mountain biking accident in 2020, reports about his survival were grim. It seemed unbelievable that Mat, an influential and beloved DJ in the western Canadian festival scene with his heavy bass lines and goofy charisma, was fighting for his life.
After six months in the hospital, he emerged a quadriplegic with a permanent spinal injury. The giant who used to tower at a height of 6'5 was now confined to a wheelchair with nerves only remaining in his upper torso and arms.
Mat's best friend, The Librarian, was constantly by his side and helped him adjust to his new life at home. Fans from across the world raised money to fund his accessibility needs, including wheelchair ramps and lowered studio tables.
The donations enabled him to return to the stage at this year's Bass Coast festival to perform alongside The Librarian. Accessibility adjustments made for him at the fest, like ramps to stages, have motivated the industry at large to help him tour again.
Mat the Alien and The Librarian at Bass Coast, 2020, pre-injury.
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Now, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to raise funds for moving costs, an electric wheelchair and an adapted van. The goal is to reach $100,000.
"Since moving home from the hospital and spinal rehab clinic in 2020, Mat has been very busy producing music from his home studio," writes the campaign's organizers. "He is busy recording a number of different projects that will be out next year while also managing his own record label Really Good Records. Without the income from touring regularly as a DJ, Mat needs our help."
The Funk Hunters, Dunks and a slew of Mat's DJ friends recently added fuel to the campaign by performing during a 48-hour fundraiser on Twitch. The Librarian also chimed in from her European tour for an interview about Mat’s journey and progress. Over $7,000 was raised before Mat took the decks, exceeding the $5,000 goal of the stream.
You can donate to Mat's campaign here.
Follow Mat the Alien:
Facebook: facebook.com/matthealienMTAfanpage
Instagram: instagram.com/mat_the_alien/
Spotify: spoti.fi/3SKLcUu
