An unimaginable journey

I am here fundraising for one of the most amazing guys out there... I can't begin to imagine the journey he is about to face, and as a friend and someone who truly cares, I can't even begin to fathom how to help...Enter "GoFundMe"... It is the least we can do. Matt Was is one of the most caring individuals I have ever met, he is so full of passion, and love and such a vigor for life and adventure. Matt is the guy that will give anyone the shirt off his back and a care package to last. Since the day I met him, he has never backed down from a challenge, and there is no doubt that this challenge is no different.

Because it isn't my story to tell I am sharing this excerpt from his Caring Bridge site, because truly, I could never put into words what this guy is going through:

• In early 2023, I started experiencing back pain that was progressively getting worse. On May 13, 2023, I had some pretty severe digestive upsets that caused me to be hospitalized for close to a week trying to figure out what was wrong. They found a lesion on my liver with bile duct inflammation which they said appeared to be a disease called PSC (Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis) and told me that this situation was too complex and I would need to be referred to the Mayo Clinic as they specialized in this disease and mentioned the possibility of "the C word." After two months of patiently waiting and dealing with the symptoms of my back/glute pain and gradually signs of abdominal discomfort, liver pain, sleepless nights, and many other random symptoms.

• After my first two weeks at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, I received news that the liver transplant process I was initially told that I would need, would stop since the problem had likely metastasized throughout my body. Still no confirmation of the C-Word, but every indication pointed toward that diagnosis. It was not easy to "digest" by any means and there were a lot of ups/downs during these times in accepting the fact that I may have cancer.

• The next week I had a colonoscopy and liver biopsy. The results came back and my first appointment with oncology was in the afternoon. The liver biopsy was positive for cancer, along with some of the mucosa in my colon, the peritoneum, lymph nodes near the liver, and my lower back. It is stage 4 and spreading quickly, so chemo and immunotherapy have been ordered for next week. I will be going through 6 rounds over the next 9 weeks. The 3 drugs are Cisplatin (chemo), Durvalumab (chemo), and an immunotherapy drug called Gemcitabine.

• Diagnosis - Stage IV Metastatic Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

• I had been doing my part during this time in changing my diet to all organic, gluten-free, dairy-free, and trying to eat all whole foods. I have been participating in various therapies such as emerging myself and drinking HDO water (highly oxygenated water), infrared sauna, cryotherapy, IV vitamin infusions, sensory deprivation tanks, physical therapy, chiropractic work, acupuncture, and more. My supplement list is insane (turmeric, medicinal mushrooms, teas, dandelion root, and about 10 others). Anything that I can possibly do in order to detox.

• I am staying positive and ensuring that my attitude is on point each day. Consistency will be important and temptation will need to be thrown away. This will be a permanent life change no matter what. I am committing to a life full of health, abundance, and healing moving forward. There is no place in my life for alcohol and poor eating. No place for processed foods and sugary candy. I will prove that there is a way to get rid of cancer and this is my story.

My goal here isn't to garner finances to fight the pharmaceutical fight, it is to provide Matt with whatever resources he may need to continue to light his path down, what is sure to be a very unpredictable journey.

I am here, asking you to help me, help us, his circle of friends, family, colleagues, and associates, to help him. Help him fight against the modern medicine route to be able to approach things with an aire of hope, that perhaps we won't be tied to the modern medicine route, that through diet, exercise, herbs, counseling, and mindfulness we can fight....even when the fight seems unsurmountable.....

We all appreciate energy and good will to fight the fight.