Matthew Thomas Alessi

My name is Steven Alessi and I have tragic news regarding my brother and best friend, Matthew Alessi. Matt, as most of us know him, went into the hospital for a routine procedure on April 25th. This procedure turned out to be anything but routine. He wound up needing CPR and wound up on life support. After receiving a tracheostomy and making it through the life saving measures, he began to take a turn for the worse. After fighting so hard for 11 days, his body and lungs were too tired and could not handle the stress anymore. He was taken off of life support on May 5, surrounded by his closest family. This is a tremendously difficult time for all of us of course, but mostly for his wife, Jess. See, we had just celebrated their wedding in Myrtle Beach, SC just 7 short WEEKS before this unthinkable event. They didn’t even have enough time together for a honeymoon.

Everyone who knows Matt, knows the passion he had for being a volunteer firefighter, serving in both the Blue Point and Bayport, NY Fire Departments. He even won Firefighter of the Year in 2002! Matt was the most giving man I have ever met, selfless in every way. He would give the shirt off his back for a stranger if they needed it. So, it’s not surprising that he volunteered his time to help keep the communities of Blue Point and Bayport safe. He was well known in these small communities as a gentleman, who could strike up a conversation with anybody and be seen with his signature laugh where his shoulders would shrug up and down and his face would squint and turn bright red.

Matt was a wonderful brother, son, uncle, Godfather, grandson, brother-in-law, son-in-law and for only a tragically short time, a husband. He worried about everyone else, but never himself. He gave and gave, but unfortunately, when it came time to receive help for himself, he was taken away too soon (he was 39 and just 1 month from his 40th birthday).

Never one to stay to himself, he would consistently call his family and friends just to talk. We miss his voice. We miss his compassion. We just miss him.

It is with a heavy heart that we ask anyone who may be willing, to donate to Matt’s memory. But more specifically, we hope to raise money to help his wife, Jess, during this difficult time. Now alone, Jess will certainly have human support from both her primary family and her new family. However, she will need to make ends meet and survive on her own monetarily. In today’s terrible economy, this will prove to be very difficult, if not impossible due to various private factors.

My name is Steven Alessi, and as his brother, I whispered a promise to Matt, as he was slipping away, that I would ALWAYS be there to support and protect his wife. This is why I ask for any donation you can afford, so I can make sure I fulfill my last promise to him - to protect and watch over Jess.

I would like to thank everyone in advance for their support of our family and specifically for Matt’s wife. I am hoping to be able to surpass our goal amount so I can help Jess in a meaningful way. Again, thank you ALL!