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The 21-year-old became sick on Dec. 31 during a family Christmas trip, and while it first appeared he had a common cold, he's since been placed on a ventilator.
"He had started out with a cold, then it went into pneumonia, and then he contracted Influenza-A," wrote family friend Michele Spadaccino in a GoFundMe campaign set up to assist with medical costs. "He was placed on a ventilator, and days later his kidneys began to fail."
The combination of viral infections has left Matt with heart tissue damage, Michele says. Making matters worse, the Small family says Matt is in and out of consciousness and is likely to be hospitalized in Ireland for weeks to come.
"They are playing whack-a-mole with infections. Every time they knock one down, another one surfaces," his father Greg Smalls, the detective, told 6abc.
"He was in complete organ failure," his mother Sandra told the outlet. "There was talk of a transplant list for his heart, and he was on dialysis."
The Small family told 6abc that while they are hopeful Matt will return home in the weeks ahead, doctors say he'll likely have to learn how to walk again. The emotional rollercoaster aspect of his recovery is the most difficult, Greg says.
"I try to maintain the middle road, and not give in to despair," the detective told 6abc. "At the same time, when he has these rallies and comes back, I don't want to get euphoric and think the worst is behind us. He has had peaks and valleys and emotionally, that's the hardest part."
Friends and loved ones, too, are wishing for a speedy recovery.
"Matt is very selfless and only thinks of others in their time of need," Michele wrote, recalling when he helped look for her missing cat in the rain, and how he quiets his motorcycle at night so as not to disturb his neighbors.
So far, the campaign has raised over $28,000 of its $50,000 goal. The money will go toward helping the Small family pay for "car rentals, gas, and trying to keep ahead of the daily expenses" in Ireland while also keeping the bills paid at home in Bucks County.
Click here to donate to Matthew Smalls' GoFundMe campaign.
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