Matt's Medical Fund
Story Update: August 1, 2017
Since I first created the gofundme last July Matt has since came out of remission, went through 2 months of intense chemotheraphy, had a minor surgery to fix what we though was hemorrhoids, and set a date for another massive surgery at Loyola University to remove more tumors and have a whipple surgery.
August 1, 2017 was the date of that surgery. Once again Matt had an outstanding surgical team consisting of 3 of the areas most amazing doctors. Dr. Abood (Cancer/Colon Surgeon), Dr. Farooq (Kidney Surgeon), and Dr. Anstadt (Trama Surgeon/Surgical Critical Care). His team also consisted of roughly 7 residency students if I recall right. We didn't meet them beforehand but after the surgery we met them in ICU the following morning. Dr. Farooq removed Matt's right kidney. It was removed because it was functioning at 10%. Kidney's are only salvagable if they are functioning at 20%. Matt had spent almost a whole year with a disfunctional kidney. I believe Dr. Anstadt was on the team to repair Matt's abdominal wall at the end of the surgery. Matt had a tumor by his belly button. Due to the large gap that would be missing due to removal of his belly button Matt needed to have a piece of mesh place to bring his abdominal wall back together via scar tissue. Dr. Abood completed the rest of the surgery.
After the surgery Dr. Abood met with us and explained that there was more than met the eye. (Not something we were prepared to hear but deep down we knew there was a possibilty.) He explained that upon removal of the tumor by his belly button they discovered more tumors in the wall of his abdomen. He added that when Dr. Farooq removed his kidney they discovered more tumors underneath the bad kidney. Dr. Abood explained that he tried to remove all the dead cells and tumors he could see. He explained that he did not perform the whipple surgery due to the fact that there was just so much cancer. He didn't want to irritate the pancreas and put Matt through more pain. Instead he still removed his gallbladder and rerouted part of his intestine to have a 2nd exit from the stomach when the tumor grows to the point is causes blockage. He did his best to make Matt comfortable until more test results come back and further treatment plans can be made. He mentioned radiation and/or chemotherphy. He also told Matt that he is not done with him. There is still hope.
Check the update section for daily updates.
Thank you, Love Katie, Matthew, and the entire family.
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In September of 2015, my husband, Matt, was very sick. After spending a weekend throwing up, he woke me late Sunday night. He said he wanted to go to the hospital and fainted. Once I had him awake, I made sure he could walk to the car, or I would have called for an ambulance. We made it to the car and arrived at the Memorial Hospital ER. He had a scan and it came back showing a growth in his intestines. The hospital admitted him, and he had a colonoscopy. The results showed a blockage that stopped food from passing from the small intestine to his colon. A laparoscopic right hemicolectomy was scheduled three days after we were admitted. We were blessed to have Dr. Alfredo Casetti as my husband’s surgeon. A biopsy was taken from the softball-sized mass the doctor removed. The biopsy results showed that Matt had stage four colon cancer. Casetti stated the growth could have been there for up to ten years. As soon as he was cleared by Casetti, we moved on to an oncologist named Dr. Ellen Szwed. Matt was still healing from his surgery when he began chemotherapy. His chemo was administered through a pump that he wore for three days every other week over six months.
Casetti surgically inserted a port in Matt’s chest for the chemo treatments and numerous blood draws took place at every chemo session. During the treatment, we were blessed because Matt was still able to work and his health stayed mostly regulated. His nausea was controlled, his body weight maintained, and his tests always came back good. Sometimes blood draws through the port were tricky, but treatment was never delayed. He would tell you that the worst part of the six months of treatment was that he could not eat ice cream due to the development of sensitivity to cold from chemo.
After the six months of treatment were complete, Matt received news that he could take a thirty day hiatus from all the doctor appointments. In April, he was scheduled for PET and CT scans. The doctor shared with Matthew and his mother that there was a spot of concern and they would like to send him for a biopsy. After receiving the results from the biopsy, Dr. Szwed referred us to Dr. Abood at Loyola University Cancer Center in Maywood, Illinois, which is just outside of Chicago. Dr. Abood is a Surgical Oncology Assistant Professor. He specializes in a handful of cancers and bowel surgery. During our second visit to Dr. Abood, he scheduled Matt’s surgery. His next visit to Loyola will be for tests, and two weeks after that, we will be returning for his surgery. They will go in with a camera to verify that Dr. Abood can operate, and then alert us when it is time to make the larger incision to remove the tissue left behind from the initial tumor removal.
The surgery will place Matt on leave from work. We are creating this campaign to help alleviate expenses that are out of our means. Funds will primarily help cover my hotel and travel expenses and our bills at home, since I will be on an unpaid leave to be with Matt during his surgery and recovery. Also, proceeds will be applied to Matt’s cumulative hospital and clinical bills. If you are local and wish to donate directly, I can give you our address. We welcome letters of encouragement and, more importantly, prayers. I will be posting daily updates on Matt’s condition and results.
