Miracle for Matthew
Donation protected
Friends and Family:
Spare me a few minutes of your time to allow me to tell you about my Little Cousin Matthew Evans.
For those of you who do not know Matthew, he’s a normal 15-year-old boy who loves:
- Basketball,
- Fishing,
- His brother Luke, and
- His dogs Trooper and Daisy.
He’s very smart too and is on the Honor Roll at his school.
And he’s very thrifty as he found a piece of furniture on the side of the road; refurbished it and sold it to make a profit.
Since he is limited in activity due to COVID, this summer he worked to make money by cutting neighbor’s lawns and weeding. The money he made helped him purchase a weight set. He’s been working out every morning at 5am.
When in middle school (bottom right in white), Matthew was a “wing man” at his school. This term is designated to outstanding students who can act as a role model and help those kids who have difficulty adapting to the pressure of school and feel as if they don’t fit in.
Matthew is in the band at Voorhees High School. He has played drums since 5th grade.
By all respects Matthew is a typical teenage boy with one exception. He is facing a serious medical issue no teenager should face.
I want to take you back a few years when Matthew was around 10 or 11. You need to know that Matthew is a very respectful young man so when he started acting out in ways that were out of character his mother Kristin knew something was not right.
After seeking out a few doctor’s his condition was deemed “behavioral problems”.
In January 2016, Matthew was taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital, whereby the grace of God, a neurologist on duty in the emergency room noticed Matthew’s behavior was not that of a normal teenage boy acting out. She suspected his behavior was the result of a medical condition and an MRI showed he had Hydrocephalus.
For those of you not familiar with this medical term, Hydrocephalus is the buildup of fluid in the cavities (ventricles) deep within the brain. The excess fluid increases the size of the ventricles and puts pressure on the brain.
For Matthew, this meant immediate surgery to remove the build up of fluid followed by a month of rehabilitation. This was a lifesaving procedure. If surgery was not performed Matthew could have died or have gone blind if the fluid was not removed.
The fluid was caused by a Tectal Glioma at the stem of his brain. Unfortunately, the location of the tumor means surgery could not have be performed to remove it. Matthew must undergo an MRI every few months to ensure it has not increased in size.
Fast forward to October 2020…
A routine MRI identified yet another Glioma but this time in a different location. Surgery will be needed to perform a biopsy to confirm this tumor is not cancerous. Matthew will undergo surgery in January 11, 2021 at Boston Childrens Hospital .
And if that isn’t enough, even if the Glioma is deemed non-cancerous, Matthew will need low dose chemotherapy at Morristown Memorial Hospital 5 times a week for 10 months in the hopes of reducing the size of both tumors.
As you can imagine this type of medical condition takes a huge toll on the family both emotionally and financially. My cousin Kristin is a single mother and will need to focus her attention on Matthew taking him back and forth to chemotherapy appointments as well as to Boston for his procedure.
I have set up this GoFundMe page because Kristin was my father's favorite niece and as a first cousin I feel it is my duty to help her any way I can to ease her fear and concern so she can spend her energy focusing on Matthew helping him recover. Kristin will be the beneficiary of fund raised by this fundraiser.
The money raised will go towards the everyday expenditures not covered by insurance. Any amount of money you could donate would be greatly appreciated.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you, and God Bless!
Colleen Purtell
Spare me a few minutes of your time to allow me to tell you about my Little Cousin Matthew Evans.
For those of you who do not know Matthew, he’s a normal 15-year-old boy who loves:
- Basketball,
- Fishing,
- His brother Luke, and
- His dogs Trooper and Daisy.
He’s very smart too and is on the Honor Roll at his school.
And he’s very thrifty as he found a piece of furniture on the side of the road; refurbished it and sold it to make a profit.
Since he is limited in activity due to COVID, this summer he worked to make money by cutting neighbor’s lawns and weeding. The money he made helped him purchase a weight set. He’s been working out every morning at 5am.
When in middle school (bottom right in white), Matthew was a “wing man” at his school. This term is designated to outstanding students who can act as a role model and help those kids who have difficulty adapting to the pressure of school and feel as if they don’t fit in.
Matthew is in the band at Voorhees High School. He has played drums since 5th grade.
By all respects Matthew is a typical teenage boy with one exception. He is facing a serious medical issue no teenager should face.
I want to take you back a few years when Matthew was around 10 or 11. You need to know that Matthew is a very respectful young man so when he started acting out in ways that were out of character his mother Kristin knew something was not right.
After seeking out a few doctor’s his condition was deemed “behavioral problems”.
In January 2016, Matthew was taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital, whereby the grace of God, a neurologist on duty in the emergency room noticed Matthew’s behavior was not that of a normal teenage boy acting out. She suspected his behavior was the result of a medical condition and an MRI showed he had Hydrocephalus.
For those of you not familiar with this medical term, Hydrocephalus is the buildup of fluid in the cavities (ventricles) deep within the brain. The excess fluid increases the size of the ventricles and puts pressure on the brain.
For Matthew, this meant immediate surgery to remove the build up of fluid followed by a month of rehabilitation. This was a lifesaving procedure. If surgery was not performed Matthew could have died or have gone blind if the fluid was not removed.
The fluid was caused by a Tectal Glioma at the stem of his brain. Unfortunately, the location of the tumor means surgery could not have be performed to remove it. Matthew must undergo an MRI every few months to ensure it has not increased in size.
Fast forward to October 2020…
A routine MRI identified yet another Glioma but this time in a different location. Surgery will be needed to perform a biopsy to confirm this tumor is not cancerous. Matthew will undergo surgery in January 11, 2021 at Boston Childrens Hospital .
And if that isn’t enough, even if the Glioma is deemed non-cancerous, Matthew will need low dose chemotherapy at Morristown Memorial Hospital 5 times a week for 10 months in the hopes of reducing the size of both tumors.
As you can imagine this type of medical condition takes a huge toll on the family both emotionally and financially. My cousin Kristin is a single mother and will need to focus her attention on Matthew taking him back and forth to chemotherapy appointments as well as to Boston for his procedure.
I have set up this GoFundMe page because Kristin was my father's favorite niece and as a first cousin I feel it is my duty to help her any way I can to ease her fear and concern so she can spend her energy focusing on Matthew helping him recover. Kristin will be the beneficiary of fund raised by this fundraiser.
The money raised will go towards the everyday expenditures not covered by insurance. Any amount of money you could donate would be greatly appreciated.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you, and God Bless!
Colleen Purtell
Fundraising team (2)
Colleen Purtell
Organizer
Bloomsbury, NJ
Kimberly McDonald
Team member