Fight for Gianna

This is Gianna Matthews, a spunky, sassy 6 year old who is now fighting for her life. For several weeks Gianna had been experiencing severe headaches and frequent bouts of morning nausea after being dismissed by doctors several times it was discovered that she had a malignant brain tumor called Anaplastic Medulloblastoma. On July 11, 2018 Gianna underwent her first of three surgeries. The first surgery to remove the tumor lasted 4.5 hours. Gianna had a difficult time coming around after this surgery and was left with some loss of motor skills particularly affecting her oral motor skills. Giannas’s second surgery was to place a port for her to receive chemotherapy. Her third surgery was to insert a shunt into her skull to alleviate pressure due to swelling and fluid retention.

 

Removing Gianna’s tumor is only half of this little girl’s battle. Gianna will undergo months of intensive courses of chemotherapy and radiation.  

Gianna’s mother and father, Felicia and Michael Matthews, fostered Gianna for 1156 days before finally being able to adopt her on November 20, 2015. They fought hard for Gianna then and are fighting even harder for her now. This time the fight is very different and very heartbreaking. The little girl they love so much is in a battle for her life.

 


Mike Matthews, the father, is a Teacher of Culinary Arts at Spectrum 360, a Private School for Kids with Special Needs, Livingston, NJ.   Felicia Matthews, the mother, is a Payroll Clerk at Wayne Township, Wayne, NJ.


This page was set up to help the family with medical bills and general items as necessary while they are overseeing Gianna's care and treatment