Help Mattea Beat Cancer

Dear Family, Friends, & Supportive Strangers,

My name is Gaille Victa Chua, and I am the cousin of Mark and Elvi Victa. On behalf of the Victa family, I am organizing this GoFundMe to help them support their youngest daughter, 10-year-old Mattea. It is with heavy hearts we share that Mattea “Matty” Victa, was diagnosed with a very rare ovarian cancer earlier this year.

The Journey

The journey began on February 4, when Matty complained of severe lower abdominal pain. The first visit to Vallejo Kaiser ER showed a mass in her abdominal area and the doctors thought it was just stool buildup that would go away with some take-home medication. About a week later on February 12th, Matty experienced horrible pains again, and a second ER visit with an x-ray and ultrasound showed the same mass. The doctors still believed it was stool buildup.

Mark and Elvi were uneasy about this conclusion from both visits since the pain in Matty’s abdomen continued even with medication. After several delays and numerous calls to book radiology appointments to better understand the painful mass, doctors finally decided to admit Mattea for surgery to remove it.

On the week of February 17th, a 16-centimeter mass was removed from Mattea. It was attached to her right ovary. The mass was sent to UCSF Pathology for an expert opinion. On April 17th, the results of the pathology report were unfavorable. The mass was a cancerous tumor, and Mattea was diagnosed with a very rare type of ovarian sarcoma, DICER1 mutation.

Mattea was scheduled to start chemotherapy on May 9 after a family trip to Hawaii, but it wasn’t long before she started to feel severe pain again and had to be admitted. Doctors discovered a new mass on her left abdomen area this time.

The new mass prompted doctors to start chemotherapy right away instead of waiting after the Hawaii trip. Matty had a port surgically placed in her chest, got a bone marrow biopsy, and started her first cycle of chemotherapy on the week originally meant for a fun family vacation in Hawaii.

What We Know About DICER1 Mutation

From what we know so far about the DICER1 mutation, it is a very rare type of cancer. Mark and Elvi received Mattea’s germline blood test results and were told that because the DICER1 mutation is genetic, it increases the risk of Mattea developing both benign or malignant tumors in the future. Unfortunately, only fewer than 10 patients have been diagnosed with this similar type of cancer. Still, with the support and guidance of many amazing doctors and specialists in the Bay Area, we are hopeful that Matty will be healed.

Where We Are Today

Mattea has been undergoing 2-3 days of inpatient chemotherapy every 3 weeks. This includes 4 different types of chemo. On top of that, she has short weekly clinic treatments. The doctors have provided a calendar of treatment for all the way up to December 2023 - that is more than 6 months of chemotherapy treatment.

This has already been daunting for Matty and the family. Matty has continued to experience unfavorable side effects from the treatment: vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite, fatigue, and hair loss. In fact, before her last few hospital visits, Mattea just got one of her favorite haircuts called the “wolf cut” which only lasted a few weeks because Matty, being the brave girl that she is, decided to shave her head instead of experiencing daily hair shedding.

What Lies Ahead: The Mission for This Fundraiser

The journey has been a rollercoaster. On top of staying strong for Mattea and caring for her during this tough time, Mark and Elvi are encountering more unexpected costs as the weeks go by. While they have been blessed with friends, family, and foundations providing them with food and gas/transport gift cards, as well as groceries/meals, and even tickets to Disneyland (special thanks to LIVFREE!), there is a growing concern that their day-to-day expenses will continue to add up as they take more and more time off to focus on Mattea and ensure she is well-supported.

This is why we have started this fundraiser with a goal that can hopefully cover missing streams of income, as well as out-of-pocket expenses related to Mattea’s care. Every donation will ultimately provide immediate financial support from taking extended time off of their jobs to focus on Mattea, as well as any costs related to Mattea’s medical visits/treatments.

If anyone knows Matty Cakes, you will know she’s a joy and goofball to be around. She loves playing with her friends and with her dad. She also is a HUGE fan of the Marvel Universe and especially loves the Avengers series. Her favorite characters are Baby Groot, Rocket, Iron Man, and Spider-Man. She also enjoyed the latest Super Mario Bros. movie and can watch it on repeat. She also loves Kirby, the pink round hero! She’s an animal lover, especially dogs! You can also ask her about her plushy and slime collection, and she’ll be glad to share! She has the biggest heart of any 10-year-old around, and it shines even through this tough time. One of her ultimate wishes by the end of her treatment is to make it to Hawaii since they never made it back in May.

Mark, Elvi, and all of Mattea's supporters are very hopeful that she will fully recover from this and will be able to make fun, new memories with all of the adventures and milestones she has yet to experience!

From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank everyone for their love and compassion since the start of this journey in February. Please continue to keep Mattea and family in your prayers. We will be sure to keep everyone updated.

- Gaille Victa Chua & The Victa Family