Med Student Back to His 'Old Self' After Near-Fatal Bike Crash

About this sponsorship: In honor of the 60th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary’s historic ascent of Mount Everest, Patch and Grape-Nuts are teaming up to highlight those who inspire people around them to climb their own mountains. 

In November 2008, Matt Miller was riding his bike with two friends to train for a triathlon when his bike swerved into the path of a car and he hit it face-first. With the help of what he describes as superb care at the University of Virginia hospital and "incredible blessings"—including an anesthesiologist who witnessed the accident and was able to get Miller breathing again before emergency responders arrived—Miller not only survived, but he made it out of the hospital faster than anyone anticipated.   

The next step—assuming his old life as a student at the University of Virginia and getting back on his bike—was the next challenge. Miller, who grew up on the Main Line, shouldn't have survived the accident, but he did, and today he's engaged to his high school sweetheart, finishing medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, and back on his bike training for the Ironman World Championships in October. Patch caught up with the St. Davids resident to find out what inspired him to triumph against all odds.              

Patch: What’s the biggest challenge you’ve taken on?  
Matt Miller: The biggest challenge I have taken on is recovering from a serious bicycling accident in early November 2008. Once I left the hospital, I was faced with the challenge of getting back to the classroom—I was a third-year student at the University of Virginia—and, eventually, getting back to racing triathlons. As I started reading my school books, writing papers, and studying for exams, I felt like my 'old self' again. 

Many people cautioned me to take it slow and to take time just to let my body and mind recover from the severe trauma my brain had suffered. When I decided to finish all of my fall semester classes by the start of spring semester, I knew there was a very good chance I might not be able to do it. However, I believed and will always believe trying and not succeeding is a lot better than not trying at all, and so I took on this challenge.

And by the start of the spring semester I had finished all of my course work, earning all 'A’s.' While earning good grades was nice, the best feeling was knowing that my brain was back to where it had been before my bicycling accident. Obviously, I was and remain extremely grateful for this.

The second part to the challenge of getting back to my 'old self' was continuing to train for and race in triathlons. I have always loved pushing my body physically and the competition and camaraderie that make triathlons such a rewarding sport; I did not want to lose this part of my life due to my accident. However, I knew how much I had frightened and worried my loved ones as they had to sit in the Surgical Trauma ICU for the first few days after my accident, not knowing if I would survive and, even if I did, not knowing whether my brain had suffered irreversible damage.

So I 'made a deal' with myself and continued to train for triathlons but only indoors on a bicycling trainer—a piece of equipment that turns your outside bike into an indoor stationary bike—and on roads or trails that are closed to traffic. I gradually began easing back into training in late January 2009 once my neurosurgeon gave me the go-ahead, and in April of that year I completed a half-marathon, going eight minutes faster than my previous best time. Later that year in June, I won my age-group at my first triathlon competition since my accident—the Philadelphia Sprint triathlon—finishing sixth overall out of more than 1,300 athletes. Again, the fact that I was competing at a high level was not what made me happy. I was just so thankful to be able to bike, run and swim; to be able to participate again in the sport I loved.

Patch What inspired you to take on this challenge?
MM: My mother and father always told me, 'If you give it your best that is all that matters.' This invaluable lesson is what allowed me to go after the challenges I faced after my bicycling accident.

Patch Did you succeed?
MM: If I had been afraid of failing, I would not have resumed my college coursework or returned to the triathlon scene. However, I knew that if I gave it my best shot, no matter what the end result, I would be satisfied. I had survived and been spared permanent injury from my accident and I wanted to take advantage of this gift. I am most proud not of the successes I have achieved in accomplishing my goals. I am most proud that I decided to go after them; that I took advantage of the amazing opportunity at a second chance that I had been given.

Want to know more about Miller's road to recovery? Check out this Patch interview with Pulitzer Prize-winning "Philadelphia Inquirer" reporter Michael Vitez who tells Miller's story in "The Road Back: A Journey of Grace and Grit."