Help Support the DiCarlo-Drake Household

Matthew DiCarlo is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

Hi everyone, this is Matt and Brittany. The first half of 2024 has been incredibly challenging, and as a result we are asking our family, friends, and communities for help.

In March 2024, the Scripps Health medical team found a lump in Matt's throat and in May, after ultrasound scans and a biopsy, discovered he had papillary thyroid cancer. After surgery in June to remove part of Matt's left thyroid and biopsy his lymph nodes, doctors determined the surgery was a success - the cancer was fully removed and there was no evidence of cancer in the lymph nodes, meaning no radiation and no additional surgeries. Despite the joy of now being cancer-free, medical costs have quickly spiraled out of control even with health insurance.

In addition, both dogs in our household, Daisy and Lexi, had medical emergencies. Daisy, our blue heeler, had multiple malignant cancerous tumors removed from her hip and stomach in May 2024. In June, Lexi, our pit bull, had surgery to repair a ruptured cruciate ligament (the dog equivalent of a human's ACL) and a surgery to stabilize her luxating knee-cap.

All of this happening during recurring flooding within our home and broken water lines!

We are asking for help from our family, friends, and communities to overcome this burden so we can focus on healing and recovery. Matt works as a nature guide and as an educator at the San Diego Natural History Museum, and Brittany works as a Wildlife Care Supervisor at the San Diego Zoo. These emergencies have prevented us from working during this time, and we can't wait to get back to doing what we love!

Thank you for reading, and we truly appreciate everyone's help, support, and love!