Born to beat the odds - How an accident forced attorney Matthew Hyatt to view life differently

Matthew Hyatt was not expected to survive his one-and half-pound weight at birth and three months in the paediatric intensive care at the University Hospital of the West Indies.

But, 33 years have elapsed since his early entrance in the world, and the stories in-between appeared to have prepared him for many of the hurdles he would face, the hard lessons learnt so far, and a decision to look at life differently.

Now weighing 170 pounds at five feet, 11 inches tall, at his grand ‘old age’ the attorney-at-law and educator is looking at life through different lenses, especially after a recent motor vehicle accident.

“It was frightening. I came out with whiplash, which was gone the next day, but I could not move the morning after my accident. And I just thought, ‘What did I do to deserve this chance at life?’ and since I have it, ‘What can I do to repay God for sparing me?’” Hyatt said in a reflective mood last week.

Hyatt, an associate at Knight Junor and Samuels, the law firm of veteran lawyer Bert Samuels and former government ministers K.D. Knight and John Junor. Hyatt handles criminal matters at the firm and recalled how grateful he was to have been in their company in a case involving Petrojam clients.

“It was the first time that K.D. and Bert were appearing together in a case in 36 years. Myself and Bianca Samuels (Samuels’ daughter) were part of this piece of history, and you never forget things like that,” he told The Gleaner.

His story is not the stereotypical one of someone in dire need, desperate to finish, but without the means. Nonetheless, the road to the firm was sometimes without electricity – pitch-black – and he was left fudging in the dark.

An unlikely path

Hyatt attended a number of schools in Clarendon, where he lived with his mother – a teacher – before moving to Vaz Preparatory in Kingston. He later landed a place at Wolmer’s Boys’, where he was expelled and reinstated within two weeks; accused of cheating in an exams, but cleared after investigations; had multiple entrance examination failures, then finally succeeding. An unlikely path, but somewhere between the frustration and the failures, he picked up teaching, and has taught law at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) level at several institutions.

It was his parents’ desire for him to study medicine, but a rotten pure maths grade led to The University of the West Indies (UWI) turning him down.

In addition, he said, “Chemistry, which is required for medicine, and myself were not friends. I couldn’t understand it at all. And I am still not friends with chemistry.”

While his parents wanted Hyatt to be a doctor, he wanted to be a singer – hoping to join the famed Backstreet Boys pop group. In fact, he said, many people know him to be a singer, and those from his days attending a Seventh-day Adventist Church still enquire if he sings.

Hyatt would, however, opt for law at The University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech).

During the major crises in his life, he recalled, it was lawyers who came to his defence – the late Valerie Neita Robertson; Andre Earle, KC; and Seymour Stewart.

He recalled being among a group of boys at Wolmer’s who were part of a ‘cinnamon’ challenge. They would swallow the powdered spice, knowing full well they could choke.

In what he called “their youthful exuberance”, they recorded an incident laced with a heavy dosage of expletives. The video was posted to Facebook, and with a previous infraction, headmaster Dr Walton Small threw him out in sixth form.

He was back at school two weeks later.

After completing his Bachelor of Laws degree at UTech, Hyatt began teaching at Quality Academics as he failed the first sitting of the entrance examination to Norman Manley Law School. While students at The UWI had an automatic path to the law school, UTech students had to sit an entrance examination.

Now students’ GPAs determine admission.

Hyatt would sit that entrance examination three times before passing.

His performance during his internship at Knight Junor and Samuels landed him the job as junior associate.

The road to law school, however, began with teaching.

He recalled the now Jamaica College Principal Wayne Robinson hiring him at Quality Academics to teach CAPE law after bombarding the institution with calls until he got an interview.

Even as his students succeed, he would fail a second time to begin his training for the Legal Certificate in Education.

He would then go on to teach at Merl Grove High School, The Queen’s School, and Campion College.

Hyatt determined that his third attempt would be his last.

“If I fail again, mi naaah badda wid it!” he recalled saying.

He didn’t.

Classes provided by attorney-at-law Jennifer Housen helped him over the hurdle.

Giving back

On Wednesday, Hyatt will stand again for Courtney Anderson, the taxi driver who found himself before a judge after he applied for his record to be expunged.

Anderson was arrested after a 31-year bench warrant was ‘discovered’ when he was told to visit the Half-Way Tree court office earlier this year.

Hyatt took the case pro bono – without charge.

It’s part of giving back.

Even as he awaits the birth of his child, he said giving back is part of his new lease on life.

His advice?

“Take one day at a time and do very simple things that we normally take for granted. Just getting up out of the bed without feeling pain, you know, is just such a blessing,” he said last week.

“I was looking at the accident that happened in Portmore [last Thursday] and the two guys that died are young guys, they’re like 17 and 19 years. I just looked at it and realised there’s so much more to life than chasing material things,” said Hyatt.

Hyatt said the morning after his own accident and the discomfort he experienced, followed by a serious conversation with his wife, forced a take two on life.

Now, he likens his new take on life to the beginning of the ministry of Jesus Christ at age 33.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com