Cancer Sucks - Help Matt Fight This!

Hello, friends. If you’re reading this, you most likely know my brother-in-law, Matthew Mund aka Pud aka Pudly. Matt has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I’ve ever met; he built the foundation for my sister, and his wife, Rachel Mund to build a beautiful life in Oregon and it’s been a wonderful ride. However, amidst the wonderful chaos of having two small children (Bjorn, 4 and Freya, 1) and all the adventures that brings, he has recently been diagnosed with rare eye cancer, uveal melanoma. It’s a hard decision to put yourself, and your hardships, out there for the world to see and ask for help, but we are asking for your help to support this amazing family during an extremely difficult and scary time in their lives. I am here to share his story and ask for help from the amazing community I know surrounds this family:

Around the 2022 Christmas season, Matt complained of some discomfort in his right eye. While painting, some debris had gotten into his eye and he had a lot of inflammation so he eventually went to urgent care to address this. Initially, they diagnosed him with a detached retina. He would need surgery to reattach it. After seeing this eye specialist, they informed Matt he had something pushing on his eye and before they attempted to fix the detached retina, they made an appointment for him with a specialist up in Portland at Oregon Health and Sciences University. On January 15th the team at OHSU then confirmed our worst fears; Matt has a large tumor in his right eye that they then were able to diagnose as uveal melanoma. Two doctors have told him they are not surprised by this rare diagnosis, after hearing Matt has worked in horticulture grow rooms for 17+ years, under indoor lights. However, they cannot pinpoint the causation because this type of cancer is so rare; five in one million people per year will be diagnosed with uveal melanoma.

This diagnosis started a long couple of months of back-and-forth trips to Portland, unexpected childcare needs, the unexpected need for a secondary living space for Rachel and the kids, and the need for emotional support during this daunting time.

Matt had surgery on March 21st to place a radioactive plaque behind his eye for one week. This plaque targets the tumor with radiation, in hopes of killing it. During this time, no one was able to come within ten feet of him, except to help change bandages as quickly as possible. Matt’s parents, Deb and Curry, were able to come to Oregon to help support the daily lives of their grandchildren, their son and their daughter-in-law. One week later, on March 27th, Matt had the plaque removed and continues to heal at home.

Along with the tumor in his eye, Matt’s doctors have found masses in his lungs, liver and spleen. While we are always hoping for the best, Matt has an MRI on April 20th to further diagnose these masses and hopefully rule out the metastases of the cancer.

These coming months will be filled with more trips up to OHSU for follow-up appointments and to meet with Matt’s amazing oncology team. With the guidance of his doctors and the incredible generosity of Eugene’s local cannabis community, Matt has also started a cannabis oil treatment and is currently completing an RSO cancer protocol journey. This wouldn’t be possible without help from donors. Combining Western medicine and plant medicine has helped Matt cope with the physical and mental pain this diagnosis has brought and will hopefully kill this cancer.

While this goal seems large, we all know medical costs in our country are at astronomical rates. The beginning of this health journey began with Matt having no medical coverage at all. They are only a couple of months into this and have amassed over $17,000 in medical bills alone. This does not include the many trips up to Portland, last-minute childcare and everything in between.

It is never an easy thing to ask for help when you are already feeling vulnerable. However, this is one of the kindest, most generous families you will ever come across and any little bit of financial support we can give them will make a world of difference right now. I believe in the universe bringing good karma back our way through the good deeds we have done during our lifetimes; if that is true, then this family has a full life ahead of them with SO many good things coming their way. Please help us get the word out by sharing this site, and Matt’s story and let’s bring some good back into their lives.

Matt, Rachel and the kids would like to thank everyone from the bottom of their hearts for all of the support they have already received and to everyone that has sent well wishes their way.

With love, gratitude and a full heart,

Sarah Dosch and the Mund Family.