The Bucket List of Matt Bowen

By guest contributors: Callie Lyman, Joseph Roberts, & Vaughn Draper

strength; Matt Bowen is paralyzed but doesn't let this stop him from his bucket list

Matt Bowen, who is paralyzed, learns to scuba dive; hope and faith; strength

Matt Bowen, who is paralyzed, competes in the Ragnar race; hope and faith; strength

In the age of experiences over effects, a well-checked bucket list is an ultimate treasure. Bucket lists take strength and resilience to accomplish. This is no different for 28-year-old Matt Bowen. In the last few years, Matt skydived above the Great Salt Lake, raced along the Wasatch back in RAGNAR,  scuba dived in Mexico, and climbed the red rocks of Southern Utah. But unlike most of his peers, Matt is paralyzed from the chest down. 

THE ACCIDENT

In 2015, Matt went body surfing with friends on the beaches of Southern California. The final wave of the day threw Matt’s head to the sandy shore. He felt a pop and instantly knew something was horribly wrong. With the help of his friends and lifeguards, he was taken to the closest hospital and shortly thereafter, was diagnosed with paralysis. But, as we find out in Tamara K. Anderson’s new podcast interviewing Matt; he refuses to let paralysis paralyze his life. 

FINDING STRENGTH

Matt Bowen, who is paralyzed, gets some help from friends while hiking Arches National Park; hope and faith; strength

Matt Bowen, who is paralyzed, goes sky diving; hope and faith; strength

Matt believes in the strength of interconnection, the importance of extreme ownership and reliance on the Savior during trying times. Listen in as Matt and Tamara explore these, and many more epiphanies, lessons learned, and of course, bucket list items on this week’s podcast.