Last spring, when Rhode Islanders learned about former North Providence High School honor student Matthew Irving and his fight with a rare ailment that left him in excruciating pain, they rallied in support.

For more than five years, physicians had tried to treat Irving, 21, for Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy/Complex Regional Pain Syndrome — a condition that Matthew himself first noticed after he underwent surgery on his foot in 2003 — only to see his condition grow worse. A year ago, his pain was so relentless that he had to lie motionless in a quiet, darkened room.

As a last resort, a doctor in Philadelphia, considered a leading expert in treating RSD/CRPS, recommended Matthew undergo an unusual procedure that would place him into a five-day coma induced by a massive dosage of the muscle relaxant ketamine.

The procedure, which is not allowed in the United States because of federal rules banning induced comas lasting more than two days, was not covered by the Irvings’ medical insurance. To help, town residents held numerous fundraisers — attracting donations from around the world — to send Matthew, his mother, Nancy, and his brother Daniel to Germany for the treatment.

The procedure did not go as planned. Matthew’s coma lasted far longer than expected, and he then spent five weeks in an intensive-care unit in a German hospital. When he emerged, he still suffered excruciating pain in his right leg and ankle. But the pain in the rest of his body had subsided.

In September, Matthew went for further treatment in Philadelphia. In a blog post on Sept. 17, his mother wrote: “Our days continue to have many challenges and obstacles, but with the continued grace of God, a door will be open for Matthew.”

— Journal Staff Writer Richard C. Dujardin

rdujardi@projo.com