WHY WE WALK:

The 2018 Fairfield County Walk Like MADD is dedicated in memory of Matthew Quintiliano Jr.

Matty Quintiliano, Jr., was just a few days shy of his 18^th birthday when in the wee hours of October 23, 1978, a drunk driver traveling in the wrong direction on Route 8 slammed head-on into the car in which Matty was a passenger.  In the blink of an eye, our whole world as we knew it changed forever.  We were high school kids – we weren’t supposed to die at 17 or 18 years old!  Matty was an amazing son, big brother and friend to so many.  He was fun-loving, always willing to help a friend and as you might suspect at 17, very popular with the girls!!! When I first met Matty I knew I had found a very special person, our friendship was one that I’ve never experienced with anyone else.  I miss him every single day, I feel his presence at different times in my life, my husband & I honored his memory by naming our only son after our Truly Best Friend, and I’m still angry that he was taken from us by the careless action of another person.   This year marks the 40^th anniversary of Matty’s passing and by sharing his story, our hope is to keep his memory, and all victims of drunk driving memories, alive.