The flier led me to the home of 39-year-old Matthew Rizer. Matthew enthusiastically discussed his business, simply named Matthew’s VHS to DVD.
We went to the basement, which housed most of the tools of his trade — a collection of custom built computers, monitors, and other electronic equipment.
"In high school, I was part of an I.T. career tech program and while I was studying the curriculum with my dad," he said. "We built a computer so I could understand the components where everything fit into place. And one of the things we did early on was put a video capture card in it. And so I've worked a lot with video editing and capturing it."
That early experience with computers fueled the idea for Matthew’s current gig — transferring old VHS and cassette tapes to DVD or thumb-drives.
However, his main job is working as an IT specialist for Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley.
"We have a lot of different people that come in to receive services from us and a very diverse combination of individuals that work at the agency."
Matthew spoke openly about how he fits into Goodwill’s diverse work environment.
"I have something today that is categorized or diagnosed as Cognitive Learning Disability by doctors. This basically means I'm very smart. I can get things. It just takes me longer. So, for instance, it took me longer to graduate college. It took me longer to study for exams, but I still did it. At work, sometimes I need reminders. Sometimes I need to write down instructions so I can remember how to do things. But I still do my job. I do my job well."
Matthew revealed this condition and his ADHD, went undiagnosed for years because of the heavy medication he was on as doctors tried to control the epilepsy he was diagnosed with at the age of two when he began having mild seizures.
"They'd last roughly three minutes and I would basically pick it my shirt or my buttons. I might just gaze around. I'd be again, very incoherent. I would be unconscious. So, I would not be aware of my location or what I had been doing previously. It scared my parents half to death."
Matthews' parents sought care at children’s hospitals in Cincinnati and Dayton. As he grew older, his treatments changed with medical and pharmaceutical advancements. He was in the 7th grade when an occupational therapist at Children’s Hospital thought martial arts would help Matthew with some coordination issues.
"Yeah, Matthew had a lot of challenges as a kid," says Stephen Hayes, who was Matthew’s martial arts instructor for three years. "And his parents told us he might even have a seizure in here. 'Are you willing to work with him?' And we said, 'well, if you're willing to take that risk, we are.'"
Hayes recalled 14-year-old Matthew met the challenge head-on.
"There was something about Matt that he was so pure, you know, he just wanted to learn this. And it was not easy for him. It was not easy. The cognitive aspect and coordinating with the physical. But he hung in there and got a black belt,... And so I say, Matthew's one of our biggest trophies."
Years later, when he heard Matthew had started his digital transfer business, Stephen Hayes had several projects for him.
At his home in Bellbrook, Hayes showed me a DVD of his 1980 wedding ceremony in Japan. And on another project, Matthew was able to save some heavily damaged tape of Stephen’s father, Ira Hayes, who was a motivational speaker employed by NCR. He says the preserved video allowed his children to experience the grandfather they never got to know.
"I'm just so aware [that] when we die, there are a few people who remember us for a little while, but then the generations go by and we just sort of disappear into some blank void. In this case, my grandkids, who never met him, they have a DVD. You know, he's telling jokes on this stage and tells stories and is just a marvelous entertainer. And he lives on. He lives on through Matthew's DVD."
Matthew noted his training with Steven Hayes did help with his coordination. He mentioned that it comes in handy when he's catching footballs in the yard with his nephew.
He learned the importance of perseverance and the belief that “Only the Strong feel comfortable extending respect to those around them.”
Today, Matthew uses that perseverance and strength to advocate for others — participating in a National Epilepsy Foundation of America Conference, and working with The Epilepsy Foundation of Western Ohio and Goodwill Easter Seals on multiple projects.
In an awareness video for Goodwill, Matthew shared facts like, "Epilepsy and seizures can develop in any person at any age one in 26 people will develop epilepsy in their lifetime and it is the fourth most common neurological condition fortunately here in the Miami Valley there are resources available to help families and individuals living with this condition…"
In 2007, Matthew Rizer underwent brain surgery. He was scared but excited by what it could mean for him. And the good news is that the surgery helped. Matthew has been seizure free for 12-and-a-half years.
"Because I've lived through uncontrolled seizures, having to work harder in school, study harder for exams, it's allowed me to appreciate what I have, and understand not everybody is as fortunate as I am. And so I think in a way, it's allowed me to be a more understanding and compassionate individual and an advocate for them."
Through his business, Matthew's VHS to DVD, Rizer helps people look back on their lives and share their memories with others.
