MADISON (WKOW) — Nearly two years after suffering a devastating fall that left her with more than a dozen broken bones, 85-year-old Linda Matusewic is preparing for a milestone lift on her birthday — deadlifting 86 pounds to match the age she is turning.
Matusewic fell down an open stairwell in the dark inside her home during a storm and power outage. She broke three processes in her neck, eight ribs on one side, five on the other, her tibia in two places and her big toe, and suffered a concussion.
“I checked, and I really couldn’t see my hand in front of my face, so I was going to go in the bedroom and get a flashlight, but somehow I miscalculated, and instead of walking into my bedroom, I walked into the open stairwell to the basement,” Matusewic said. “So instead of stepping on a floor, I stepped on air, and I just tumbled all the way down to the basement floor.”
The injuries left Matusewic facing a long and difficult recovery. She spent 111 days recovering before returning home and attended physical therapy almost every day for a year.
Even after that, she said she still did not feel like herself physically.
Matusewic eventually reached out to Forward Physical Therapist and trainer Michelle LaFave to continue rebuilding her strength and confidence. LaFave said Matusewic’s biggest complaint was that her function wasn’t what it used to be.
“She wanted to feel stronger again and be able to do the things she used to do every day,” LaFave said.
The workouts started small, focusing first on body weight movements, balance work and rebuilding stability before progressing to heavier lifting. LaFave said at first, it wasn’t about lifting heavy weights.
“It was about getting her moving better, improving her balance and helping her regain confidence in what her body could do,” LaFave said.
But little by little, Matusewic got stronger. What started as simple exercises gradually turned into strength training sessions that now include deadlifting.
“She’s really good at the deadlift, which is awesome to see, and it’s very impressive,” LaFave said. “Linda comes in two to three times a week, and that consistency really adds up.”
Now, Matusewic can deadlift 85 pounds. For her birthday, she hopes to lift 86 pounds, matching the age she will be turning.
“In a couple of weeks, I’ll be 86, so my plan is to tie a pound of butter to the barbell so I can deadlift 86 pounds,” Matusewic said with a laugh.
But Matusewic says the biggest accomplishment is not the amount of weight on the bar. She said it’s developing better balance and more stamina.
“Those are the things that really matter in everyday life,” she said.
From learning to walk again to preparing to deadlift 86 pounds, Matusewic says staying active has become a major part of her recovery and outlook on life.
“You got to use it or lose it to coin a phrase,” she said.