Matthew Shepard Medical Update

Monday, October 12, 1998

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MATTHEW SHEPARD MEDICAL UPDATE for 10:30 a.m. October 12, 1998

Funeral arrangements have been made for Matthew Shepard. Services will be held at Saint Mark's Episcopal Church in Casper, Wyoming on Saturday, October 17th at 1:30 p.m. Family and friends will be given priority seating and others will be accommodated as space permits. No further information is available at this time.

MATTHEW SHEPARD MEDICAL UPDATE for 4:30 a.m. October 12, 1998

The following information was released by Rulon Stacey, CEO and president of Poudre Valley Hospital, at a press conference at 4:30 a.m. October 12 at the hospital.

At 12 midnight on Monday, October 12, Matthew Shepard's blood pressure began to drop. We immediately notified his family who were already at the hospital.

At 12:53 a.m. Matthew Shepard died, his family was at his bedside.

Summary:

Matthew arrived at 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, October 7, in critical condition.

Matthew remained in critical condition during his entire stay at Poudre Valley Hospital.

During his stay, efforts to improve his condition proved to no avail.

Matthew died while on full life support measures.

Funeral arrangements are pending, and we will announce those arrangements on our website as soon as they are available at www.pvhs.org, under the PVHS NEWS toolbar. Please do not call the hospital for this information; we will post the information on this web site as soon as we find out.

The family did release the following statement, "We would like to thank the hospital for their kindness, professionalism, sympathy, and respect for the needs of our family under this stressful time. We will always be grateful for their concern for Matthew."

The family again asked me to express their sincere gratitude to the entire world for the overwhelming response for their son. During the last 24 hours we have received nearly 2000 e-mails from every continent, and, our Website, which normally receives 100 hits a day, received thousands of hits on Saturday and Sunday. We will continue to forward to the family any e-mail we receive. The e-mail address is mshepard@libra.pvh.org.

The family has again asked that no flowers be sent but rather that people send donations to the Matthew Shepard memorial fund at:

c/o First National Bank

PO Box 578

Fort Collins, CO 80522

Account No. 1926083

The family was grateful they did not have to make a decision regarding whether or not to continue life support for their son. Like a good son, he was caring to the end and removed guilt or stress from the family.

He came into the world premature and left the world premature.

Matthew's mother said, "Go home, give your kids a hug and don't let a day go by without telling them you love them."

Matthew's family is so grateful that his last words to them were, "I love you." This was said when the family went to Saudi Arabia where they work for an oil company.

MATTHEW SHEPARD MEDICAL UPDATE for 3 p.m. October 11

Information released by Rulon Stacey, CEO and President of Poudre Valley Health System:

As of 3 p.m. today, Matthew Shepard continues to remain in critical condition with severe head injuries.

As of today, the hospital will no longer offer medical updates on a scheduled basis as we have for the last three days to accommodate the media. We ask that you use our phone-in line and our web site to keep track of Matthew's medical condition.

If Matthew's medical condition changes, we will issue a new medical update and, depending on the significance of the change, we will immediately contact as many members of the media as is practically possible.

The phone-in line for medical updates is (970) 495-7032. The web site address is "www.pvhs.org." This will take you to our home page. Go from there to the menu on the left side of the page and click on "PVHS News."

The hospital will continue to host the e-mail site where people from around the nation can send electronic get-well messages. Since the site went operational last night, we have received more than 400 messages for Matthew. These will be passed along to his parents. For those who send e-mail message, we want to say you probably may not receive a reply, due to the large number that has arrived and the family's commitment to remain by Matthew's bedside. The e-mail address is "mshepard@libra.pvh.org."

The family asks that people make donations to a fund for Matthew rather than send flowers. The fund address is:

Fund for the Benefit of Matthew Shepard

c/o First National Bank

P.O. Box 578

Fort Collins, CO 80522

Account No. 1926083.

Finally, I can not stress enough the sincere thank you that Mathew's parents and the rest of his family send to the America public for their well wishes.

UPDATE at 9 a.m. October 11, 1998:

As of 9 a.m. today (October 11), Matthew Shepard remains in critical condition with severe head injuries.

The family continues to emphasis that the media respects their privacy. The family also wants to thank the America public for their concern and best wishes for Matthew.

The hospital has set up an e-mail address where people can send electronic get-well cards and wishes. We have done this in response to requests that we have received from Internet users around the hospital. The e-mail address is "mshepard@libra.pvh.org." The e-mail address was announced on our web site at 10 p.m. October 10; by 9 a.m. this morning, there were more than 250 messages received.

We would like to release information about one of the suspects, Aaron James McKinney, who was in the hospital at approximately the same time that Matthew Shepard was here on October 7 and October 8. Mr. McKinney had a fracture on the left side of his skull when he arrived by ambulance and was admittted at 11:30 p.m.

We were notified by the sheriff's department in Albany County, Wyoming, that Mr. McKinney was a suspect in the Matthew Shepard case. The Albany County sheriff's department informed us that they intended to arrest Mr. McKinney that evening. Until the sheriff's officials arrived, the hospital had its security officers maintain a surveillance on Mr. McKinney's room. This is our routine procedure in cases where law enforcement notifies us about possible impending arrests. The Albany County sheriff's department arrested Mr. McKinney at the hospital at about 11:30 p.m. on October 8 and returned with him to Wyoming.

We ask the public and members of the media to use our web site to find out the most current update. The address is "www.pvhs.org." Then go to the menu on the left side of the page and click on "PVHS News." We have also set up an update telephone line that you can reach. The phone number is (970) 495-7032.

The next medical update will be at 3 p.m. this afternoon. It will be given in the circle drive on the west side of Poudre Valley Hospital.

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Matthew Shepard Medical Update

Monday, October 12, 1998 -----------------------------------------------------------------

MATTHEW SHEPARD MEDICAL UPDATE for 10:30 a.m. October 12, 1998

MATTHEW SHEPARD MEDICAL UPDATE for 4:30 a.m. October 12, 1998

The following information was released by Rulon Stacey, CEO and president of Poudre Valley Hospital, at a press conference at 4:30 a.m. October 12 at the hospital.

At 12 midnight on Monday, October 12, Matthew Shepard's blood pressure began to drop. We immediately notified his family who were already at the hospital.

At 12:53 a.m. Matthew Shepard died, his family was at his bedside.

Summary:

Matthew arrived at 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, October 7, in critical condition.

Matthew remained in critical condition during his entire stay at Poudre Valley Hospital.

During his stay, efforts to improve his condition proved to no avail.

Matthew died while on full life support measures.

The family has again asked that no flowers be sent but rather that people send donations to the Matthew Shepard memorial fund at:

c/o First National Bank

PO Box 578

Fort Collins, CO 80522

Account No. 1926083

He came into the world premature and left the world premature.

Matthew's mother said, "Go home, give your kids a hug and don't let a day go by without telling them you love them."

Matthew's family is so grateful that his last words to them were, "I love you." This was said when the family went to Saudi Arabia where they work for an oil company.

MATTHEW SHEPARD MEDICAL UPDATE for 3 p.m. October 11

Information released by Rulon Stacey, CEO and President of Poudre Valley Health System:

As of 3 p.m. today, Matthew Shepard continues to remain in critical condition with severe head injuries.

The family asks that people make donations to a fund for Matthew rather than send flowers. The fund address is:

Fund for the Benefit of Matthew Shepard

c/o First National Bank

P.O. Box 578

Fort Collins, CO 80522

Account No. 1926083.

Finally, I can not stress enough the sincere thank you that Mathew's parents and the rest of his family send to the America public for their well wishes.

UPDATE at 9 a.m. October 11, 1998:

As of 9 a.m. today (October 11), Matthew Shepard remains in critical condition with severe head injuries.

The family continues to emphasis that the media respects their privacy. The family also wants to thank the America public for their concern and best wishes for Matthew.

The next medical update will be at 3 p.m. this afternoon. It will be given in the circle drive on the west side of Poudre Valley Hospital.

UPDATE at 9 p.m. October 10, 1998:

This is the medical update for Matthew Shepard as of 9 p.m. October 10.

Since the previous medical update (at 3 p.m. today), three new items of information have been added to this web site. The items can be summarized as the following:

1. Poudre Valley Hospital releases details of Matthew's major injuries.

2. Matthew's parents release a statement to the media.

3. An e-mail site has been established where you can send electronic get-well cards and messages to Matthew. The address is "mshepard@libra.pvh.org."

Read on for more information about these three new items and the rest of the 9 p.m. medical update:

The following 9 p.m. October 10 medical update was given by Rulon Stacey, President and CEO of Poudre Valley Health System. This was distributed to members of the media present at the time at Poudre Valley Hospital and will be FAXed to reporters as they call until the next medical update is distributed at about 9 a.m. October 11.

Since our last medical update at 3 p.m. October 10, Matthew Shepard has remained in critical condition.

Matthew is in the surgical-neuro intensive care unit in our Regional Neuroscience Center located within the hospital. He remains in critical condition with severe head injuries. Respiratory support continues to be provided. He remains on a ventilator.

Matthew came to us on October 7 from Ivinson Hospital in Laramie by way of ambulance. He was admitted in critical condition at approximately 9:15 p.m. October 7. When he arrived, he was unresponsive and breathing support was being provided.

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MEDICAL INFOMATION:

The following is medical information from Poudre Valley Hospital. It was released by Rulon Stacey at the medical update at 3 p.m. October 10.

Matthew's major injuries upon arrival consisted of hypothermia and a fracture from behind his head to just in front of the right ear. This has caused bleeding in the brain, as well as pressure on the brain. There were also approximately a dozen small lacerations around his head, face and neck.

Matthew has a massive brain stem injury. The brain stem controls vital signs, such as heart beat, body temperature and other involuntary functions.

Matthew's temperature has fluctuated over the last 24 hours, ranging from 98 to 106 degrees. We have had difficulty controlling his temperature.

Hospital actions have included the surgeon inserting an intraventicular drain into his brain to relieve pressure by draining spinal fluid. The drain remains in and functional.

We are also continuing to control Matthew's temperature. He remains on a ventilator which is assisting his breathing.

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PARENTS' REQUEST FOR PRIVACY AND THEIR STATEMENT:

Matthew's parents arrived at 7 p.m. October 9 and are now at his bed side. The parents and other family members who are present strongly request no interviews with the media and they ask that their privacy is respected.

The following statement from the parents was read to members of the media waiting outside of the hospital at 6 p.m. October 10. The parents chose not to read the statement, so it was read by Rulon Stacey, president and CEO of Poudre Valley Health System, at their request.

"First of all, we want to thank the American public for their kind thoughts about Matthew and their fond wishes for his speedy recovery. We appreciate your prayers and good will, and we know they are something Matthew would appreciate, too.

"Matthew is a very special person, and everyone can learn important lessons from his life. All of us who know Matthew see him as he is, a very kind and gentle soul. He is a strong believer in humanity and human rights. He is a trusting person who takes everybody at face value and he does not see the bad side of anyone.

"His one intolerance is when people don't accept others as they are. He has always strongly felt that all people are the sameóregardless of their sexual preference, race or religion.

"We know he believes that all of us are part of the same family called Humanity, and each and everyone of us should treat all people with respect and dignity, and that each of us has the right to live a full and rewarding life. That is one lesson which we are very certain he would share with you, if he could.

"Matthew also feels strongly about family. He is a loving son, brother and grandson who has made our own lives much richer and fuller than what we would have experienced without him.

"Matthew's life has often been a struggle in one way or another. He was born prematurely, and he struggled to survive as an infant. He is physically short in stature but we believe he is a giant when it comes to respecting the worth of others. We know that he thinks if he can make one person's life better in this world, then he has succeeded. That is a measure of success which Matthew has always pursued.

"Matthew very much enjoys the outdoors and camping, and he has always loved acting in the theatreóhe started acting in community theatre at the age of 5. Acting and the theatre arts are skills at which Matthew excels.

"He knows he's not the best athlete in the world but he has a very competitive spirit. One time he participated in the Wyoming State Games. He had a respectable finish in a running competition and then he decided to compete in a swimming event. He did this even though he knew he would likely finish last. Which he did. Afterwards, he acknowledged to us that he knew his chances of winning were far from good but he wasn't going to let that stop him from trying. That's Matthew's lesson for all of usóit's lesson that we hope everyone takes to heart.

"Matthew has traveled all over the world. He speaks three languages: English, German and Italian. He loves Europe, but he also loves Laramie and the University of Wyoming. We feel that, if he was giving this statement himself, he would emphasize he does not want the horrible actions of a few very disturbed individuals to mar the fine reputations of Laramie or the university.

"Finally, we would like to thank the sheriff's department of Albany County, Wyoming, and Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins for their very professional efforts on Matthew's behalf.

"We also have a special request for the members of the media. Matthew is very much in need of his family at this time, and we ask that you respect our privacy, as well as Matthew's so we can concentrate all of our efforts, thoughts and love on our son.

"Thank you very much."

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FUND FOR MATTHEW & E-MAIL SITE:

Approximately two to three dozen calls have come into the hospital from people in Colorado and around the nation who have extended offers of donations and other support, such as legal and counseling support. The parents extend their very sincere thank you for these offers of support.

We have also received many phone calls from Internet users who asked that an e-mail site be established so they can send electronic get-well cards and messages to Matthew. We established the site at 10 p.m. on October 10. The address is "mshepard@libra.pvh.org."

Well-wishers have also sent many flowers to Matthew. Again, the parents extend their sincere thank you.

The parents ask that, in lieu of sending flowers, people contribute to a fund that was set up October 9 in Matthew's name. Donations can be sent to:

Fund for the Benefit of Matthew Shepard

c/o First National Bank

P.O. Box 578

Fort Collins, CO 80522

Account No. 1926083.

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Matthew's current medical condition and selected information from this web site are also recorded on voice mail: (970) 495-7032. We ask that people, including the media, rely on the web site and the voice mail to track Matthew's condition.