From 1% Chance to a Second Life with Matthew Long

From 1% Chance to a Second Life with Matthew Long

From The Amberly Lago Show: Stories of True Grit and Grace by Amberly Lago

April 22, 2026 · 50 min · Season 6 · Episode 90

About this episode

Matthew Long shares his extraordinary story of survival and resilience after a life-threatening accident.

Welcome to another powerful episode of The Amberly Lago Show! This is one of those conversations that will truly stay with you long after you hear it. In this episode, I sit down with the incredible Matthew Long, firefighter, endurance athlete, and one of the most resilient people you will ever meet. His story is nothing short of extraordinary. Matt was in the best shape of his life, training for marathons and Ironman races, when everything changed in an instant. While riding his bike to work in New York City, he was run over by a 40,000-pound bus and given just a 1% chance to live. What happened next is a story of survival, strength, and the power of mindset. Matt shares what it was like to fight for his life through dozens of surgeries, months in a medically induced coma, and years of recovery. But what makes this conversation so powerful is not just what he went through, it's how he chose to move forward. We talk about pain, perseverance, and what it really means to live with adversity instead of trying to "overcome" it. Matt opens up about how mindset, movement, and purpose helped him rebuild his life, and how he continues to show up every single day despite ongoing physical…

People in this episode

Host: Amberly Lago

Guest: Matthew Long

Topics covered

  • resilience
  • survival
  • mindset
  • adversity
  • perseverance

Keywords

  • firefighter
  • endurance athlete
  • accident
  • recovery
  • mindset
  • strength
  • adversity

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New York City

More episodes of The Amberly Lago Show: Stories of True Grit and Grace

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Amberly Lago Show: Stories of True Grit and Grace podcast page.