Help Matt Battle Pancreatic Cancer
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Many of you know us, some may not know us at all. I'm Elizabeth and I've had the pleasure of being Matt's partner for over 4 wonderful years now. I hope to have many more incredible years to come and started this page as a way to help support my biggest supporter in his time of need.
What Matt wants out of life is simple: to play and watch hockey, to save turtles from oncoming traffic, and to spend quality time with his family before starting a family of his own.
For a 26 year old man in otherwise excellent health, these are very reasonable goals. However, Matt's very recent stage IV pancreatic cancer diagnosis has changed his life plans drastically. Matt began chemotherapy on Friday, August 19th and we're seeking your help in supporting him as he undergoes treatment.
Here are some thoughts Matt wants to share about the start of his journey:
"At 26, I've been diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer which has spread to my liver. They say that you're supposed to stay away from searching odds and such online, but it's difficult to ignore the reality that the odds of survival are only 2% if the cancer has spread to another part of the body. I know I'm an outlier being young and otherwise healthy, so I haven't given up hope... I will do what I have to do and hope for the best while trying to enjoy life to the fullest in the meantime. That said, it's still difficult not to feel robbed of so much life and opportunity; I feel like I won't have the opportunity to get married, to have children of my own, to have a home or to have grey hair au naturel.
This post is partly a cathartic release and partly to say that no matter how old you are or how good of health you're otherwise in, take nothing for granted. This came out of nowhere for me and I'm otherwise active, healthy, young, and apparently just incredibly unlucky. Live your life without excuses and without holding back. You're going to have days where you feel down and don't want to do anything, and by all means have those days... but take advantage of your time and your health when you're able to, and make sure that you tell anyone you love just how much you love them.
I wished I'd started doing all of this earlier, but I'm going to start now. Hopefully I can be part of the small percentage of people who has the opportunity to put this new perspective into use long-term, because it's something I wish I'd been able to understand a long time ago."
Since August 4th, Matt has had several ultrasounds and CT scans, two liver biopsies, stayed overnight in the hospital for four nights, and had a portacath surgically implanted in his chest to allow him to have chemotherapy treatments at home.
Unfortunately with all of the appointments and declining health, he's now unable to work and will be relying on whatever funding is available through Employment Insurance, ODSP, and Trillium Benefits, and any support would be profoundly appreciated.
Thank you for taking the time to read Matt's story. He'll be posting updates as he goes along as a way of keeping everyone who showed their support up to date on his progress and how they've been able to make a difference in his fight against this disease. #GoBeyondGiving
What Matt wants out of life is simple: to play and watch hockey, to save turtles from oncoming traffic, and to spend quality time with his family before starting a family of his own.
For a 26 year old man in otherwise excellent health, these are very reasonable goals. However, Matt's very recent stage IV pancreatic cancer diagnosis has changed his life plans drastically. Matt began chemotherapy on Friday, August 19th and we're seeking your help in supporting him as he undergoes treatment.
Here are some thoughts Matt wants to share about the start of his journey:
"At 26, I've been diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer which has spread to my liver. They say that you're supposed to stay away from searching odds and such online, but it's difficult to ignore the reality that the odds of survival are only 2% if the cancer has spread to another part of the body. I know I'm an outlier being young and otherwise healthy, so I haven't given up hope... I will do what I have to do and hope for the best while trying to enjoy life to the fullest in the meantime. That said, it's still difficult not to feel robbed of so much life and opportunity; I feel like I won't have the opportunity to get married, to have children of my own, to have a home or to have grey hair au naturel.
This post is partly a cathartic release and partly to say that no matter how old you are or how good of health you're otherwise in, take nothing for granted. This came out of nowhere for me and I'm otherwise active, healthy, young, and apparently just incredibly unlucky. Live your life without excuses and without holding back. You're going to have days where you feel down and don't want to do anything, and by all means have those days... but take advantage of your time and your health when you're able to, and make sure that you tell anyone you love just how much you love them.
I wished I'd started doing all of this earlier, but I'm going to start now. Hopefully I can be part of the small percentage of people who has the opportunity to put this new perspective into use long-term, because it's something I wish I'd been able to understand a long time ago."
Since August 4th, Matt has had several ultrasounds and CT scans, two liver biopsies, stayed overnight in the hospital for four nights, and had a portacath surgically implanted in his chest to allow him to have chemotherapy treatments at home.
Unfortunately with all of the appointments and declining health, he's now unable to work and will be relying on whatever funding is available through Employment Insurance, ODSP, and Trillium Benefits, and any support would be profoundly appreciated.
Thank you for taking the time to read Matt's story. He'll be posting updates as he goes along as a way of keeping everyone who showed their support up to date on his progress and how they've been able to make a difference in his fight against this disease. #GoBeyondGiving
Organizer
Elizabeth Grimshaw
Organizer
North York, ON