Dear Friends, Family, Loved Ones, and our amazing Community,

On July 28, 2022, Matthew Fortune passed away after fighting Melanoma for 2 years. He was a loving husband to Katie, an amazing father to Harper (9 years) and Tucker (6 years), a caring son, a wonderful brother, and a close friend. He is already missed greatly and memories of him are flooding our daily conversations and our social media feeds. Matt was initially diagnosed with Melanoma in June of 2020 and began his treatment journey. He courageously fought for 2 years and was even winning his battle by May of this year with clean scans of his body. However on June 5th, he suffered his first seizure. A follow-up CT scan revealed the cancer had unexpectedly spread to his brain. For the next 7 weeks Matt endured radiation treatments and fought valiantly. He demonstrated immense courage even as he began to lose cognitive function and have mobility issues.

Just prior to his first seizure, Matt and Katie purchased their first home and relocated to Redlands, California to be closer to family who are now all on the same street! At the time, they didn’t realize just how important being near family would be.

These past 7 (now almost 8) weeks have been painful and devastating. Our community has rallied and helped provide meals and support during this heartbreaking and stressful time as Matt's health declined. With all the emotional pain and stress that losing a loved one brings, it also brings financial burdens. From medical bills due to his numerous visits to the ER and hospital admissions, treatments, and the loss of a dual family income, there is much financial need. In these times of loss and sadness we have witnessed our community come together to help one another. As close friends of Matt and Katie, we started this fundraiser to provide as much as we can to help this sweet family out in their time of need. We know that Katie and her kiddos are so incredibly grateful for whatever support you can or have already provided. Please continue to keep the Fortune family in your thoughts and prayers. We love them so much.

With Love,

Erin Stubbs and Jenna Harrison

(close family friends)