Support With Matt's Fight Against Cancer

Hi there, for those that do not know us; I am Kristen Makela, daughter of Matt & Cheryl Makela. I have started this go fund me to help my best friend, my Dad. For those that know my dad, know that he is too proud and stubborn to ask for help or ever show any sign of weakness, even though he would rip the shirt off his own back to help someone without a second thought.

Some background information for those who do not know, Matt is 54 years old and works as a millwright at Evolution Mining. He has been residing in Red Lake since he was 12 years old. He graduated from Red Lake District Highschool, (where he met his high school sweetheart, Cheryl in 1988) and has been working for the mine ever since, with some additional work driving truck for Gardwine and Mike Litwin Fuels. Matt and Cheryl got married in 1992, and later welcomed two children, Devin and Kristen. Matt has a great passion for the outdoors, he lives and breathes for hunting, fishing, and spends as much time as possible at his cabin on Coli Lake. Matt is fiercely loyal to all of his friends and family, to know Matt is to love him.

In early July, Matt started experiencing some worrisome symptoms, and was undergoing some follow up medical tests. In October my father was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer, it has been deemed inoperable as the cancer has spread to various locations including his lymph nodes, bones and lungs. Matt will be undergoing hormone treatment in addition to radiation and chemotherapy in the near future. Matt has been on short term leave from work since October as his pain and symptoms have been worsening; and will be put on long term disability in the next short months; which means there will be a large gap in the income he is currently receiving. Matt will be travelling to Thunder Bay in the near future for upcoming radiation appointments where he will have to stay for a month at a time each trip, Cheryl and Kristen will be taking turns with time off work to accompany him. So I have created this fundraiser to help alleviate some financial stress and help reduce medical/travel expenses in an already unbearably stressful time and circumstance.

During this time, Matt has resonated with his Finnish roots and discovered a word "Sisu" that I thought was important to share to help describe and define my father. "Sisu" is difficult to translate into English, but it generally means a combination of:

Grit, Resilience, Bravery, Strength, Stoicism, Determination, Tenacity, Hardiness, and Willpower. A Finnish spirit to never quit and go beyond all limitations especially in the face of extreme adversity.

Our family has not shared this news publicly yet so this is also an opportunity for us to share with friends and family who are not yet aware of my dad's diagnosis & treatment plan. If you are not able to support financially, visits with dad, kind words & support are encouraged as well.

Thank you all so much for your support during this time.