In a serious conversation with a media executive in India, then 8-year-old Philip
Mathews
explained,
"We
have to help every child that we can because every child matters." October 2019,
Love
Without
Reason
lost our dear and brilliant Philip Mathews. An inspiration, son, brother, and team
member
passed
away.
We are committed to continuing Philip's dream and vision. We were deeply honored
that Philip
invited
those with the desire to make a change to contribute to Love Without Reason in his
memory.
Gifts
dedicated to the operation cost that supports Love Without Reason expansion will
advance the
work he
cared so passionately for.
Philip’s birth on July 27, 2000, changed the lives of his parents, Susan and Santhosh. Due to heart failure and the continuous drop in his weight, Philip had his first surgery to place a gastric tube in his stomach for feedings every three hours.
Philip’s cleft lip and cleft palate were repaired this year. He continued with the tube feedings. The state of Tennessee also gave an opportunity for the Mathews family to enroll in the Family Training program at Siskin Children's Institute.
Philip continued to have various surgeries to reconstruct his facial features. He also transitioned into a classroom at Siskin Children’s Institute. With the help of the therapists, Philip began walking. He also transitioned from tube feedings to eating food by mouth. He progressed from sign language to speaking and communicating.
Philip became a big brother to Sara and then Caleb, his only siblings. He continued to grow and improve in his verbal and social skills with their help.
The state of Tennessee tested Philip and documented that he had no developmental delays. He was ready for kindergarten, transitioning into Westview Elementary School to begin his academic journey.
In August of 2008, Philip had his nasopharyngeal flap repair. At the time of extubation after his surgery, Philip’s airway closed. In this emergency situation, the medical team responded quickly and saved Philip’s life. He developed sleep apnea and started to wear a CPAP at bedtime.
Philip continued growing and continued amazing his family. He took his first trip to Trinidad and shared his life story with the public in his first international speaking engagement. Philip would travel to 13 countries in his nineteen years on earth.
The renowned college preparatory McCallie School admission office told the Mathews family, “Philip doesn’t need McCallie, but McCallie needs Philip.” He began his journey with the Big Blue Brotherhood and found a place of acceptance with his peers.
Philip was told he would be tone deaf, due to his diminished hearing in only one ear. However, after taking one guitar class at McCallie and following training with his father, Philip began to play the guitar by ear. He continued to sing and play songs, many are found on YouTube. Read more...
Philip was not cleared for any contact sports by his medical team. However, he did not let that stop him from serving on the McCallie football team his four years in high school. He served with the coaches and film crew and continued working hard on his academics.
Philip and his siblings joined Love Without Reason in the first medical camp to Africa – attending both the Zimbabwe and Kenya camps. He witnessed his first cleft surgery on an infant, and celebrated with the waiting parents.
Philip led a humanitarian mission for Love Without Reason taking peers and faculty from the McCallie School to India. They attended a patient follow-up camp in Bangalore, visited the Project Butterfly Center in Mumbai and were able to bless the parents and children with hope, prayer and encouragement.
May 19, 2019, Philip walked across the stage of the McCallie School and received his high school diploma. He was accepted into Lee University and decided to take a gap year. In June, he and Santhosh left for a trip to India, Dubai, and Zimbabwe to serve Love Without Reason. In July and August, he joined his siblings for his final medical camp into Zimbabwe. His prayer over the waiting patients, “I want you to do greater things than Philip ever did.” On October 9, he went through emergency surgery for a perforated ulcer. On October 26, 2019, Philip was laid to rest in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
“No hope.” Those are the two words I distinctly remember from that day in March 2000. My husband Santhosh and I, along with my parents and brother were shocked to hear that our first baby had no chance at life due to the multiple birth defects found on the ultrasound. “We like to see perfect pictures, but these are not perfect,” explained the on-call obstetrician who reviewed the ultrasound results. She made arrangements for us to see the perinatologist immediately to clarify the ultrasound. As my family rushed to the specialist’s office, I couldn’t help but wonder about our baby’s future. I was working as a nursing assistant and finishing my last semester in nursing school. I knew the road ahead for a baby with a cleft lip and palate would not be easy.
Philip Mathews lived nineteen years on earth. He was a typical teenager in every sense of the word–but his very birth and life was anything but typical. After being born with a cleft palate, holes in his heart, absent right ear and eye, and missing parts of his brain, Philip Mathews was given little chance of survival. But he did survive and go on to live 19 years of purpose, becoming an international motivational speaker and advocate for the unborn and unseen spreading his message of hope across 48 states of the USA and 13 countries. The wisdom, insight, and truth that is shared from these pages will inspire you to take a new perspective on your own life and apply the principles to live a purposeful life.
Philip Mathews lived nineteen years on earth. He was a typical teenager in every sense of the word–but his very birth and life was anything but typical. After being born with a cleft palate, holes in his heart, absent right ear and eye, and missing parts of his brain, Philip Mathews was given little chance of survival. But he did survive and go on to live 19 years of purpose, becoming an international motivational speaker and advocate for the unborn and unseen spreading his message of hope across 48 states and 15 countries. The wisdom, insight, and truth that is shared from these pages will inspire you to take a new perspective on your own life and apply the principles to live a purposeful life.
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