Nutley Rotary is holding a night of music for Nelson Matos, a student of Nutley High School. The event is sponsored by Nutley Rotary Club to offset Nelson Matos’ medical bills. We thank everyone who has donated, sponsored and purchased tickets to attend the benefit. The event is being arranged by a member of Nutley Rotary Club, Zachary Sebek, who has spent hours alongside his family and the Nutley Rotary Club preparing for the event. The lead performers for the evening are The Sebek Trio featuring Christian Sebek, Zachary Sebek and Eric Sebek. The trio is accompanied by numerous Nutley High School Alumni and over 24 current Nutley High School students. We are so thankful for all of our current students and alumni for supporting a special cause. The Nutley Rotary Club is also grateful to the community of Nutley for supporting this initiative in numerous ways. Our goal is to help ease the financial burden and resultant stress that the Matos family is facing! All funds raised will go directly to Nelson’s continued care, equipment and related medical expenses. As the president of Nutley Rotary Club, I’m proud of the efforts our club is putting forth to assist a family in our community. As a parent all I could ask from the community is to think of Nelson’s parents struggle to take care of their child!
Nelson Matos, a senior at Nutley High School, is a kind, quiet and gentle soul who loves to cook, play video games, and spend time with his family and friends. On Nelsons 17th birthday, his entire world was turned upside down. After experiencing what was originally thought to be a minor cold, then acid reflux, things quickly escalated to being rushed to Mt. Sinai Hospital where he was diagnosed with a previously undetected congenital heart defect. Nelson was placed on the heart transplant list but needed an immediate procedure to stabilize him. Although the procedure was successful, Nelson suffered a stroke after surgery and fell into a weeks-long coma. Now awake and aware of his condition, Nelson faces speech impairment and paralysis. His road to recovery will be long and arduous with physical therapy and a pending heart transplant compounding his already astronomical medical bills. Nelson continues to build resilience through difficult experiences and finds solace and purpose in writing. He pours his heart into a heartwarming play titled “Be Happy”, a whimsical tale about finding joy in everyday moments, spreading kindness, and overcoming challenges.
