Give Mathew a Fighting Chance

A lifelong UH fan desperately needs help.

I have always looked up to my brother. Things in our family have never been easy, but we have been resilient through all of it. But as I write this our family has been pushed past our limits. My brother at 54 years old has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, the same age as our Father when he was diagnosed.

3 years ago my brother was a charismatic bartender in Chicago when he got the news that he had a golfball-sized tumor in his brain. Fortunately, the tumor was not cancerous (Acoustic Neuroma) but still required major brain surgery. After a lengthy recovery, Mathew returned to work. He was forcing himself to work even though he felt as though it was way more difficult than it should be. At exactly 1 year after his first surgery, Mathew had to return to the operating table because he developed a massive staph infection in his head where the initial surgery was performed and was very close to going septic. As you can imagine another lengthy recovery was staring him in the face. So 2 years in a row my brother not only experienced 2 major surgeries with recovery, but also lost significant income. The family and his friends have worked to help support Mathew and just as we believed he was on track to return to a normal life, the worst happened.

For the 3rd year in a row Mathew has had to have major surgery. He was diagnosed with tongue cancer and the doctors removed a significant tumor as well as several lymph nodes. He had the entire left side of his tongue removed and reconstructed from other tissue. We were waiting on the official results from the biopsies and were devastated to learn that it was stage 4 cancer. After the surgery, the doctors immediately scheduled Chemo and radiation to aggressively treat the cancer. Mathew has not eaten solid food since December and has lost close to 40 pounds.

My brother Mathew and I grew up in Houston. Even though we are currently in different parts of the country, we always return home every year together to go to a UH game. Mathew has dreamed of moving back to Houston for quite some time, but the last 3 years have made it impossible. Mathew finishes his Chemo and radiation this week and will allow nothing to stop him from making it back home to recover. Once again, we will meet up in Houston at our Mothers house to cheer on the Coogs as they make their run in March Madness. It will be hard to stay cheerful for any legnth of time though as I look over at my big brother and his emaciated body.

Mathew was a regular at the Dome and Robertson Stadium to watch the veer or the run and shoot. Our whole family would be covered in red as we watched Phi Slama Jama at Hofheinz Pavilion. He has been faithful to the Coogs his whole life and now we must ask the Cougar nation for its help. Our family and friends have exhausted our financial resources and Government disability takes over 8 months to approve a case, even if the need is dire. The first 2 surgeries, subsequent lost income, and medical bills have made this current diagnosis and treatment impossibly difficult. Please help give my brother the support he so desperately needs to have the opportunity to recover in peace.