Help Matthew Long Beat Childhood Brain Tumor

My name is Tanya Haubner and I am part of the Decatur Blaze Hockey Team, located in Decatur IL.  Shel and Matthew Long as also part of our amazing Blaze Family as a Billet Family for the Team.  Doctors discovered a golf ball-sized blastoma brain tumor nestled against Matthew's brainstem and cerebrum on Monday, May 9th. Just two weeks ago, Matthew started having terrible headaches. At first, he and his mom, Shel, thought it was a sinus infection. But the headaches were bad enough to keep him home from school and activities, even causing him to vomit. To be thorough, Shel made Matthew an eye Doctor appointment, where they discovered he had almost no vision in his left eye, caused by extreme swelling around the optic nerve. They sent him directly to the ER for an MRI. A CT scan revealed a mass in his brain, so the hospital sent him to Peoria's OSF Saint Francis Medical Center by ambulance, where they performed surgery to remove as much of the tumor as they felt safe to do. They will rely on chemotherapy and radiation for the remainder.

 

Matthew Long is a friend and teammate to many. He is involved in many teams and organizations in the Mount Zion, Decatur and Bloomington areas. These include Boy Scout Troop 43 of Mount Zion, school band (where he hopes to add a second instrument), Decatur Flames Hockey, Bloomington Thunder Hockey, Decatur Family YMCA Swim Club, and archery at Archer's Alley. Most recently, Matthew has started lifting, boxing, and Jiu-Jitsu thru the Strength Academy. For several years, he has gotten a team together for the 217 ALZ Backyard Wiffle Ball Tournament. I'm sure we have missed something as this kid has a huge heart and likes to stay busy. Like his mom, he will give you the shirt off his back if you need it. Both have a great sense of humor and a positive attitude. If anyone can BEAT THIS, MATTHEW CAN!

 

Unfortunately, Matthew and his mom, Shel, have been through far more than their fair share of heartache. His dad passed away from complications of Diabetes on June 29, 2019, after a protracted battle with illness. Though technically a family of two now, as a billet family for the Decatur Blaze Hockey Club, Shel and Matthew have welcomed over 30 young men to join their family over the last eight years. Each young man has become a brother to Matthew and son to Shel. Right now, they are blessed to have Jeff Shirkey staying with them. He has bravely taken on the extra responsibility for the house while Shel and Matthew are away, tending to his medical needs.

 

While Shel concentrates on helping Matthew get well, their bills won't stop. She will still need to pay for her mortgage, insurance, utilities, garbage, internet, credit card bills, gas for travel, food and phone, and medical bills. Please give generously to help her with these expenses so that she can focus solely on Matthew as he faces this battle against cancer.

They are going through the unimaginable, so please keep them in your prayers, praying specifically for restored health, courage, and faith.  Shel will have full control over the funds donated here to use as she needs during this time. 

 

Thank you so much, we all love Shel and Matthew so much, and they mean the world to us all. Now is the time to show them all our support.