Help Support Matt's Care

7-14-23 UPDATE:

It was just six months ago that we were on a plane, heading to Rochester, going to save Matt’s life with a living donor liver transplant. Many of you donated lovingly to the cause. Unfortunately, new cancer was found during surgery that was outside of the liver that was previously undetected, and they were unable to complete the transplant. He has been so brave and fought so hard and it is with unbelievable sadness that we inform everyone that we have run out of options. Matt has been in the hospital for the past two weeks and they have found the new cancer is spreading quickly and is invading organs. The reality is setting in that this will soon be the end of a beautiful life.

The hope is that Matt will be coming home at the beginning of next week and will be provided care by his family and a Hospice team. If you wish to provide financial assistance, it will go towards any care costs potentially not covered by insurance, funeral costs, and to help the family.

Matt wrote a beautiful letter to Michele for Valentine's Day. While he touched on time spent in the hospital over the past two years, it focused more on their love story; how they fell in love as kids and took time learning to grow and live. How they built a home, built a family, and raised two amazing boys into men. How the life they built together fills him with joy and pride. The final line is "Every day is just another page in our love story. I treasure everyone." To everyone reading this make sure you also treasure everyone. Love to all.

Original Post:

Almost everyone who knows Michele Pascoe knows and loves her husband, Matt. Matt & Michele have been best friends since they were 14 years old and have built a beautiful life together with their boys Connor and Riley. Many in their circles know that Matt has been fighting stage IV colon cancer that has spread to his liver. Fortunately, the cancer has only spread to his liver, and he has responded so well to chemotherapy that he is now preparing for a life-saving surgery in New York.

Matt is working with the leading transplant surgeon in the country, Dr. Roberto Hernandez at the University of Rochester, NY. Dr. Hernandez has been saving the lives of stage IV cancer patients through living donor liver transplants. The search for a donor began, and it was hard. Several friends and family members were tested, and the family’s hopes were answered when Michele’s sister, Meg, got the recent news that she is a match.

In the beginning of 2023, a New Year will lend a new opportunity to heal Matt with this transplant. The brief celebration gave way to planning and logistics as Matt and Meg prepare to fly across country for the surgery scheduled for January, and for Matt’s long medical journey ahead. The living donor process is truly amazing. The liver is divided into two lobes, with the larger lobe comprising about 60 – 70% of the liver. The larger lobe of Meg’s liver will be removed and transplanted, with Matt’s entire liver being removed due to the extensive damage it sustained from the cancer (sometimes only removal of a portion is necessary, but that wasn’t an option). Each half then grows back to almost the original size, with the majority of growth occurring in the first 6-8 weeks, and full function returning in less than a year.

While medical insurance will cover much of the medical costs, there will still be significant additional expenses such as deductibles, travel expenses, lodging, and lost wages. Matt and Meg will travel to New York for the surgery along with their support team of Michele, Carol (Michele and Meg’s Mom), and Cassie (close family friend). Meg will need to stay in Rochester for approximately a month, and Matt will need to stay there for about two months as they undergo surgery, hospital stay, and post-surgical follow-up care.

That is where we need your help. Donations will go directly to the family to supplement expenses related to the transplant and recovery.

If you would like to donate, you can send a check to the address below or donate on this Go Fund Me page.

Thank you so much for helping us fight this battle and providing the opportunity for Matt to be there for his wife, two boys, and their family. Happy Holidays!

Matt Pascoe

19559 Lake Drive

Escondido CA 92029