Adam Mattson, 5, was struck by a bucket loader last year and lost both of his legs. Doctors were able to reattach his left leg. His mother, Kim Mattson, sits behind him, at right, in the Farmington McDonald’s restaurant Wednesday. (Andree Kehn/Sun Journal)
FARMINGTON — Five-year-old Adam Mattson scooted out of his wheelchair Wednesday and moved himself to a bench seat at a table at the local McDonald’s to eat his lunch.
The New Vineyard boy’s legs were severed in a bucket-loader accident Oct. 23, 2017. His mother’s boyfriend of many years, Sam Kennedy, and Adam were at a family gravel pit when unbeknownst to Kennedy, Adam got under the bucket, which had been lowered but was not on the ground when it lost hydraulic power and came down on Adam’s legs.
Kennedy is credited with saving Adam’s life.
Doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital in Massachusetts reattached Adam’s left leg, but not his right one. He came home in February, but he has been back in the hospital since for surgeries after doctors discovered his femur was broken.
“His leg is finally healed,” said his mother, Kim Mattson, who was seated beside Adam on Wednesday. “It took three sets of plates and screws to repair his femur.”
So far he has had 17 surgeries.
Losing his right leg and not quite able to maneuver fluidly on the other has not slowed Adam down. He scoots on his bottom using his arms to propel himself along on the floor and wheels his wheelchair around like a pro.
He put his left leg above his head to demonstrate his agility.
Adam quickly moved himself onto the back of a bench seat and over to a vacant seat and back. When he landed, he said, “That hurt my stump, not my leg.”
“He bumps himself quite a bit,” Mattson said. Adam still has many nerves that have to be regenerated and he faces many obstacles, his mother said.
“My main thing is you can’t get services in the state of Maine” that she needs for Adam, including a counselor and physical therapy, she said. She has hired a case manager to help them.
She is looking for physical therapy that has equipment that will help Adam learn to walk and use his prosthesis, which has monster trucks pictured on it.
Adam’s doctor won’t let the kindergartner participate in gym or go out to recess at this time, she said.
Adam said he went on vacation to Old Orchard Beach this summer, rode in bumper cars and loved it. He also went with family to monster truck shows and demolition derbies at fairs, as they have done in the past.
His favorite show is “Teen Titans Go!” Adam said as he ate his lunch. He also enjoys video games, YouTube and his iPad. Among his favorite foods, he said, are seafood, ham and cheese sandwiches, and scrambled eggs with cheese and ketchup.
“I want to thank everybody who has helped us,” Mattson said, including people who have donated money, sent gifts and built a ramp onto their home.
Adam is very independent and likes to do things by himself, she said, which is good but can also be bad at times. He helps Kennedy load firewood and loves to help push junk off a truck, she said.
After Adam finished his lunch, Mattson brought him a sundae, which he dived right into.
dperry@sunmediagroup.net
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