Help Matthew Fight Colon Cancer!

Our friend Matthew was recently diagnosed with colon cancer, and it has completely upended life for him, Christina, and their son, Elliot. He’s now facing at least six months of chemotherapy followed by surgery, and the road ahead will be tough.

Matthew is currently unable to work while undergoing treatment, which has added even more stress to an already overwhelming situation. Between the chemo, constant medical appointments, and the challenges of navigating a cancer diagnosis, the medical and household expenses are quickly piling up.

Matthew and Christina are truly some of the kindest, funniest, most genuine people I know — the kind who lift others up without even thinking twice. Now they could use a little lifting themselves.

If you’re able to chip in, it would be a huge help and deeply appreciated. Every bit really does make a difference.

Thanks for reading, sharing, and sending love their way.

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From Christina:

I’ve started writing this too many times and gave up just as many. I didn’t want to do it. It’s exhausting. But here I am, sitting in my car in a Target parking lot, and this feels like the only moment I have to even try.

Matthew — my crazy-tall, incredibly loyal boo of 15 years and Elliot’s dad — was recently diagnosed with colon cancer.

It’s been a lot.

The current plan is six months of chemo, every other week, followed by surgery to remove lymph nodes. That’s what we know right now. Colon cancer is hard to stage, but his doctors think he’s had it for around four years. FOUR years. That part is hard to wrap my head around.

He started chemo on March 31st. It was immediately rough. Week two went a little smoother because we were more prepared. But we know it’s going to get harder and harder.

I want to fix it. But I can’t. Life has changed — and it’s not going back to what it was. One day you are making fun of your boo for his weird poop habits, and the next you are sitting in an exam room having a panic attack because the doctor just said the word “cancer”.

A lot of people have asked how they can help. I’m the worst at asking for help, but I’m going to do it now. Being a caregiver is a full-time job layered on top of everything else — work, parenting, cooking, cleaning, paying bills, a crumbling society. Matthew isn’t working right now and the medical bills have already been intense and unpredictable so yeah — we need help.

Colon cancer is showing up in younger people more and more yet screening doesn’t start until you’re 45. Demand a CRC screening. If you have blood in your poop, gut problems that won’t go away, unexplained fatigue — go get checked. Push for the colonoscopy...it sucks but it’s better to know earlier. Don’t wait please.

I want to thank all of our family and friends who have shown up for us in big and small ways over last couple of weeks. We love you.

And I want to end by saying how much I love Matthew. He doesn’t like a lot of people — but somehow, I’m his favorite. His love is genuine, safe, and unconditional in a way I didn’t know was possible, let alone meant for me. He made me a mom, and together we created my favorite person: Elliot. One day you meet a lanky dude in a oversized Hawaiian shirt and white New Balances at a luau who confidently drills a hole in the coconut you have been trying to crack open for the last 30 minutes and the next you are writing a novel in a Target parking lot about how he’s sick. Life is wild.

Thanks for reading this all the way to the end and thank you for any support you can provide.❤️❤️❤️