ONTARIO — A charitable online donation site has been established for Springfield Township Fire Chief Matt Carey, according to his mother, Sondra Carey.
Carey is a native of Mount Gilead and worked on the village fire department from 2001-2009.
“Matt has been the one that has always helped others working in fire and EMS and now he needs our help,” his sister-in-law Alissa Carey said in setting up the fundraiser.
He is in the Cleveland Clinic’s Cardiac ICU, according to a news release issued by the Springfield Township Fire Department. “We expect with extended treatment and rehabilitation, he will make a full recovery.”
Carey, who graduated from Mount Gilead High School in 2001, is “fighting a cardiovascular illness.”
The GoFundMe site for Matt is at gf.me/v/c/lhpd/matt-carey-family-support-fund. So far $10,354 of a goal of $15,000 has been raised.
He worked at the Morrow County EMS during the time he was on the Mount Gilead Fire Department.
Carey and his wife Tonya have three children, Katelynn, Abigail and Ryan.
Sondra was a teacher here for more than 30 years working with special needs children.
His brothers, Mark and Mike, are also firefighters/paramedics. He has a sister, Mariah and his father is Al Carey.
“He recently came down with what he thought was a minor illness, but has turned into a serious heart condition. They are currently working through the initial treatment process and identifying long-term treatment options. His wife works in healthcare, but is currently not able to work full-time so that she can care for him,” said Alissa.
“As you can tell there will be several financial burdens that this will cause as we are unsure how long they will be off of work. We are looking to raise money for the medical bills that he has and will be acquiring, a few house remodel items that will need to be done to accommodate him; along with the everyday bills.”
Carey joined the Springfield Township Fire Department on June 1, 2019. He also served as chief of the Monroe Fire Department. He has been a firefighter and paramedic for 20 years.
“He loves his firefighters and EMS as his family and always has been a faithful servant of his community,” Sondra said.
