LIFESTYLE
From Football By Luke Vandermeer
WHAT DID YOU TELL YOUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FRIENDS WHEN THE CLASSIC QUESTION “WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE ARE YOU GOING TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?” CAME UP? FOR SOME OF US, IT WAS FIREFIGHTER. FOR OTHERS IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN LAWYER, POLICE OFFICER, PARAMEDIC – OR EVEN PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE.
Meet Matthew MacKenzie, a firefighter for the Long Beach, California area who has fulfilled not one, not two, but all three of his childhood ambitions.
HIS FIRST ANSWER TO “WHAT DO YOU WANT TO TO BE?” WAS FIREFIGHTER. Matthew grew up in a household with four other siblings including an older brother with Down Syndrome who, despite the ongoing love and support of his family, sadly died from medical complications. When firefighters responded to the medical call and rushed his brother away in an effort to save his life, one of the first responders took a moment to embrace the young Matthew
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in an effort to show him that somehow the world would still be okay. It was this moment Matthew's journey toward our profession began, with him hoping that one day he could offer the same support to others.
BUT IN THE INTERIM, THE SMALL MATTER OF PROFESSIONAL SPORT INTERVENED. MATTHEW’S SECOND ANSWER TO THE CLASSIC QUESTION WAS ALWAYS PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYER. He was an accomplished athlete, and with the help of Andy, one of his best friends, grew up pushing himself to be as successful as possible. After developing his skills through high school, Matthew received a scholarship to the University
of Southern California and began his journey into the professional world of sports. Even though Matthew and Andy headed off to separate schools to continue their education, they talked of returning after their playing careers to make good on their dream to become firefighters. One night in 2003, Matthew’s world changed again. He was running an errand for his mom, returning a VHS tape (remember those?) to Blockbuster Video (remember those?) to avoid a late fee. It was enroute that he received the much anticipated phone call telling him he’d been drafted to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Eventually, Matthew was drafted to the New England Patriots, albeit on the practice squad. It was disappointing but how many of us could ever say we’ve played a single minute in a professional sport? It was while he was on that practice squad that Matthew began to look at the next chapter of his life in a more serious way. If football wasn’t going to be his long-term profession, he knew just what would take its place. He would become a firefighter. Taking courses non-stop and working as many as five jobs while he maneuvered himself into the firefighting life, Matthew often had to sleep in his truck. But his determination powered him
