Help My Brother, Matt Barnes, Kick Cancer's Ass

In August of 2022, my brother Matt was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells. The disease leads to bone loss, bone pain, and potentially renal failure. It also affects the immune system. It is incurable, but researchers are hopeful for a cure within 20 years. Remission is always temporary, so even with the best treatment available, Matt will be dealing with this disease for some time.

Matt's diagnosis was pure luck and likely has given him a fighting chance to beat this. In July, the whole family came down with Covid while moving our parents out of their flooded apartment (which is a whole other story). When the rest of us had largely recovered from COVID, Matt was still sick. He went to the doctor and was first diagnosed with pneumonia. The medication and inhaler he was given didn’t seem to be doing anything, so Matt’s wife asked him to go back to the doctor.

At that point, Matt was diagnosed with bronchitis. But Matt was also suffering from pain in his back and neck, due to a compression fracture caused by the disease itself. For this reason, plus some worrisome blood test results, Matt was sent for an emergency CT scan. Cancer was found, showing up in pitting in his bones and a protein deposit on his hip. A description of the disease and its effects is at https://www.webmd.com/cancer/multiple-myeloma/ss/slideshow-multiple-myeloma

Matt began weekly treatments of chemotherapy and targeted drug therapy. These treatments have been very successful, and the amount of cancer in Matt’s body has been reduced to the point that he has been given the green light for the next phase of treatment.

The next phase of treatment is an autologous stem cell transplant. This means that stem cells will be harvested from Matt’s body. He will then go into the hospital and receive high-dose chemotherapy. Then the harvested stem cells will be put back into his body.

He will be in the hospital for about two weeks. When he gets out, he will need to have treatment at a clinic multiple times a week for several weeks, to monitor for infections, check his medications, et cetera.

During this time, Matt will not be able to be left alone. He will be unable to drive. He will be severely restricted in his activities. He will not be able to work for a minimum of six weeks, due to the debilitating fatigue common with this treatment. He will not be able to cook or eat any food that has not been prepared in their home. He will not be able to walk his dog or interact with his cats, due to his compromised immune status.

Matt will not be able to take out the garbage or touch dirty laundry. He will not be able to have visitors at home (except for caregivers). He will also be limiting his exposure to their son, James, as James attends public school and does sports.

Why should you care? Who is Matt? What about his family?

Matt just had his 51st birthday this March. Matt and Kate had been together for four years and had been planning to marry in the spring of 2023 before Matt was diagnosed. Matt and Kate were married in December 2022, largely to enable Kate to more easily be involved with Matt’s medical care and finances.

In addition to being a beloved son, brother, and friend to many, Matt is a self-described Doofus, die-hard Grateful Dead fan, vintage hat collector, and cat whisperer. He is a father of two - his child, Jackie, age 21, who lives in Oregon with their mother, and his wife’s son, James, age 11.

The family of three lives in Richmond, Virginia, with their dog, Sarah, and their feline support team. Matt and Kate both work remotely from home while James attends fifth grade. James is active in soccer and Taekwondo.

The family’s number one goal has been to keep life as normal as possible for their son. So far, James has been able to continue all of his activities, while Matt is being treated. Matt and Kate hope that he experiences as little disruption to his routine as possible.

This has been a very stressful time for Matt, Kate, and James. I hope that by setting up this fundraiser, some of their stress can be reduced. I realize not everyone may be in a position to give financially, but other options are limited by his compromised immune system. If you know Matt and Kate and happen to live nearby, James could use rides to and from soccer and Taekwondo. Kate could use help exercising their dog, Sarah. Matt, not being able to be left alone, could also use some folks willing to stay at the house for brief periods, while Kate runs errands or just takes a bit of time for herself.

Please remember this is a marathon, not a sprint. Matt, Kate, and James are facing several months of difficulty with just stem cell treatment alone. First for Matt’s treatment itself and then for his recovery. We have been advised that from the time he goes into the hospital, it will be no fewer than 100 days until he is cleared to resume 100% of his regular life, and then only with the help of continued medication. So, they anticipate needing support from the end of March until perhaps sometime in July. That timeline assumes that the transplant will be successful. But again, the disease is incurable, so further treatment is inevitable.

I know that so many of you have been keeping Matt, Kate, and James in your thoughts, your prayers, and sending good wishes their way. They are very grateful for that and for any help that you will be able to provide during this next, very challenging, phase of this experience and beyond.