Woman defends new love after accident changed husband forever

Josh, Amanda and Matt

A mother-of-two has pushed back at online critics after revealing her new boyfriend now helps care for the husband she says she “lost” to a catastrophic brain injury.

Amanda Robinson, 39, says trolls accusing her of breaking her wedding vows do not understand the reality she has lived since a horrific crash in 2021 left her husband Matt, 42, with life-altering injuries. “I don’t have a marriage anymore,” she says bluntly. “But I still love him.”

A crash that shattered a life overnight

Amanda and Matt were childhood sweethearts who met in high school in 2003 and married just two years later. For 15 years, they built a family life with their two sons.

Then, in February 2021, Matt’s truck was struck by another vehicle. The crash crushed his head, leaving him with a severe brain injury that changed his vision, personality, memory and behaviour.

Doctors warned the family to prepare for the worst.

From wife to full-time carer

A nurse by profession, Amanda spent four years caring for Matt through his long recovery — feeding, dressing and cleaning him daily.

When he finally left hospital after 10 months, he could walk and talk again. But the damage soon became clear. His memory collapsed, his eyesight vanished and hallucinations blurred his sense of reality.

“In his mind he’s still living life before the accident,” Amanda says. “Sometimes he thinks he’s going to work. Sometimes he thinks he’s still in school.”

The impossible decision

Eventually, exhaustion forced Amanda to place Matt in a nearby care home. The decision, she says, broke her heart — but it allowed her to rebuild some normality for herself and her sons.

Then, unexpectedly, she met Josh, a 38-year-old country singer performing at her local bar.

When he later looked up Matt’s story online, Josh’s reaction surprised her. “He said Matt sounded like a great guy,” she recalls.

A relationship that includes her husband

Josh didn’t just accept Matt’s presence in Amanda’s life — he embraced it.

Months into their relationship, he began joining Amanda on visits to the care home. The pair now support Matt together, forming an unusual but stable routine.

“I did this all by myself for years,” Amanda says. “Now I’m not doing it alone.”

Defying the online backlash

The arrangement has triggered fierce criticism online, with some accusing Amanda of betraying her vows. She rejects that argument outright.

“I lost everything too,” she says. “My career, time with my kids, my whole life changed.”

Josh insists he respects Matt deeply — and says he would step aside if a miracle recovery ever happened. “I wish he could get his family back together,” he says. “I’d be happy for them.”

My new boyfriend helps care for my disabled husband - it's time for me to be happy