Matt was playing to packed clubs every night at the height of Malia’s party season when a car accident nearly killed him.
But just two weeks after leaving hospital, and with 70 stitches sill in him, Matt was back playing in front of a 1,000 strong crowd, despite not having practised one-handed.
He said: ‘It was the best experience of my life. The place erupted. It was totally surreal. It was pure euphoria.
‘There was no doubt in my mind that my DJ career wasn’t over when I lost my arm. It just spurred me on to do it even more.
‘Being a DJ is about putting on a good show and giving people something they can take away and remember. It is one of the luckiest and rewarding jobs out there.’
He has held residencies all over the world including in Tenerife, Ibiza, and Serbia and is now touring the UK, and had a stint on radio with a show on BBC Radio 1 Xtra earlier this year as part of their ‘New Talent’ scheme.
All of which is in stark contrast to life following his surgery just two years ago.
After playing his final gig in Malia, he flew back home to Norwich to recuperate and the reality of what had happened sunk in.
‘I was completely devastated but at the same time I was genuinely happy to be alive because I could have died,’ he said.
‘From that moment on I knew things were never going to be the same. There was a lot of mixed emotions. It was an emotional overload.
‘It was revealed later that the only reason I didn’t die that day is because the dirt and grit from the road clogged up my artery, stopping the bleeding.’
In fact paramedics had told Matt that just two more minutes outside an operating theatre could have been fatal.
The decision to amputate his arm was actually made by his nightclub boss because doctors couldn’t wait for his mother to arrive from England.
Once back in the UK he had to learn to walk again due to the extensive injuries he suffered to his legs and was virtually housebound, too embarrassed to go out.
Matt added: ‘I became a bit of a social recluse. I had not come to terms with what happened. Truth be told it only really sunk in 12 months ago.
‘I felt a bit sorry for myself and like I was missing out on all the action.’
After just four weeks resting at home, he decided enough was enough and booked a ticket to go back to Malia to DJ again at the resort’s biggest club, Candy.
‘I was DJing every night and sunbathing every day. I was back where I belong – I was back home, behind the decks with a crowd in front of me. It was no different to before.
‘It was more to prove a point to myself and the other DJs. I thought to myself it can’t be that hard. I had to do it.
‘I’ve achieved quite a lot at a young age but I’ve not accomplished anywhere near what I want to do.
‘The dream is to be on a level where I am DJing in three or four countries a week, every week. It will happen. I am determined to succeed.’
Matt is also helping to support others like himself as one of the ambassadors for UK charity The Limbless-Association.
Fundraising for the charity is very close to his heart as he wants to inspire others who may be going through a similar experience to believe that they can do anything they set their hearts on.
Source: Dailymail.com
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