by Michelle Weyenberg of the Jackson County Chronicle

If you want to do something - do it, Matt Johnston said. And he did it.

This past Sunday, 29-year-old Matt, from Woodbury, Minn., made history as the first ventilator dependant quadriplegic in the world to successfully accomplish an open water dive, which he did at Lake Wazee in Black River Falls.

He has been living with muscular dystrophy for more than 20 years. The disease, which confines him to a wheelchair full-time, has not stopped him from achieving his dream of scuba diving.

A dream that began two years ago.

And for those who say or said he couldn't do it, he's proved them wrong for the past year and half, as he's trained for his certification and first open water dive.

With help from his scuba diving instructors, family and friends, Matt made history.

"It's better than a pool," he said after the dive was completed. "It felt really good. It felt perfect."

His dive lasted 15 minutes, which he wished could've been longer.

But his diving instructor, Drew Gerling, said it best. "Take in the moment. It doesn't matter how long (it was)," he said. "It may not have been up in the high end, but it was fun as heck."

Because Matt is dependant on a ventilator to breath through a tracheotomy tube in his neck, equipment had to be specifically made for him.

That's when, after much persistence, Susan Long and Diving Unlimited International (DUI), a company based out of San Diego, jumped on the dream bandwagon.

Long, DUI's president and CEO, said she met Matt two years ago and has been his cheerleader ever since.

They started off as pen pals and she invited him out to a local DUI Owners Group Rally and Demo Day so he could meet other divers and to see what diving is all about.

"The suits didn't work for him," Long said.

So DUI custom made him a drysuit with a special port that allows his ventilator hose to pass through it.

"Susan is my best friend," Matt said. "I have a ton of respect for her."

Since the drysuit was made for him, he's been diving every other week in a pool for the past year and half with Gerling.

In March 2006, Matt completed the academic portion of the openwater scuba class through Scuba Diving International, based out of Maine. The agency also issued him a formal certification card through their newly established "Scubility" program, which is in place as a mechanism to train individuals who need adaptive lessons. Matt is recognized as the first individual certified through this new program.

Gerling, who's been diving for 11 years, said there's no formula for a guy on a ventilator to dive.

"You have to develop a program as we've had to do," he said.

The most important thing is that Matt can't communicate if something is wrong. And his team is still working on how to securely enclose his ventilator for his upcoming ocean dive in November.

For the open water dive at Lake Wazee, Matt was only able to submerge between five to 10 feet because his ventilator had to stay above water.

Gerling said they've kept good logging of things so that other people in Matt's condition can scuba dive.

But Matt has had to work hard over the past two years, rallying other people and organizations to help him with his dream.

"I call him M.P.J - Matt ‘Persistence’ Johnston," Long said.

Doug Counts agreed that what Matt has accomplished so far is outstanding.

"If you don't call him back, he'll call you," said Counts, friend and marketing and sales director of Scuba News magazine, Jacksonville, Fla.

He said Matt's taught him to not sweat the small stuff.

Counts and Long accompanied Matt on his dive at Lake Wazee on Sunday and will be there for his ocean water dive in November in Key Largo, Fla., along with Gerling.

"Drew (Gerling) has been a big help," Matt said. "I couldn't ask for a better guy."

Matt's family has also been a huge support.

He said his family didn't really realize his dream until they saw him dive in a pool during his training.

Now his sister, Ashley, is currently training so she can dive with her brother in Florida.

And he has more plans after his ocean dive.

"Diving in the cage with the great whites," Matt said. "I want to make a difference with saving the sharks."

Project Innerspace, a Rhode Island based not-for-profit organization, has been sponsoring Matt, and established a Web site for people to follow the project and to generate support.

For more information on Matt and his dream, or to donate funds go to www.divingadream.org.

"I anticipate Matt diving and diving often," Counts said. "He is never going to be without a huge support network."

See pictures of Matt's dive click here.