Matt's Battle to Beat Cholangiocarcinoma

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update:

Our hearts are full.

In just over 30 hours, your compassion and generosity lifted us beyond our goal, and in doing so, you’ve given us something we can never repay: hope.

To the children who gave their pocket money, the loving friends and family who stood by us, and the kind-hearted strangers who have become part of our village, thank you. You’ve wrapped our family in love and light during the most challenging time we have ever faced.

It truly is because of you that Matty can now pursue treatment that once felt out of reach. He can keep fighting with renewed strength, to explore a path that offers real possibility, and to hold on to more precious time with his wife and children.

Reaching this target means we have a safety net for his upcoming care. Every dollar raised beyond this point will help fund further rounds of treatment and support his young family through the immense emotional and financial weight of this battle.

While this fight is deeply personal, we acknowledge that through reaching out and asking for help, more people have now learned about Cholangiocarcinoma, a devastating and often misunderstood disease. Furthermore, we hold hope that histotripsy will one day be available here in Australia, so others won’t have to cross oceans to fight for their lives.

We also hope that our emergency services personnel, paid or volunteer, are given the recognition, protection, and support they so rightly deserve when their own call for help is made.

You have not only helped Matty and his family, you’ve helped raise awareness, amplify a cause, and bring light to a community in need.

From the bottom of our hearts,

Thank you.

Matty’s Family

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matty has always been the first to show up when someone needed a hand.

Whether it was dropping everything to help a mate, turning up for strangers in distress, or charging into bushfires to save lives and homes, Matt has never hesitated. Now, in the most difficult chapter of his life, we are the ones stepping in — asking our community, friends, and kind-hearted strangers to rally around a man who has given so much and now needs us in return. Matty is facing a ruthless, aggressive cancer, and we’re reaching out with open hearts to help give him the fighting chance he deserves.

For more than two decades, Matt has been a cornerstone of the Kalamunda community.

He's inspired countless children as a beloved teacher at Kalamunda Primary School, led with quiet strength at local community events, and stood shoulder to shoulder with fellow firefighters as a Volunteer Fire, Emergency and Rescue team member. His selflessness knows no borders. In 2019, he answered Queensland’s desperate call during the Black Summer bushfires, deploying with Strike Team Foxtrot to battle one of the worst infernos in our nation’s history. That’s who Matty is. Dependable. Brave. Generous to his core.

But more than anything else, Matty is a family man.

He is the heart of his household. A devoted husband to Helen and a fun-loving and fiercely-loving dad to Ollie, Finny and Amelia. Matt provides his family with unwavering support, love, guidance and protection. Just when life felt full and joyful, a quiet storm began to build. In September 2024, what doctors first thought were gallstones turned out to be something unimaginably cruel: Cholangiocarcinoma — a rare, aggressive cancer of the bile duct. Diagnosing it was its own battle, with inconclusive scans and failed biopsies dragging out the uncertainty. By the time they knew what it was, the cancer was already making itself known in devastating ways.

On December 5th, Matty underwent major, life-altering surgery to remove his bile duct, gallbladder, part of his pancreas, stomach, and small intestine. The surgery was gruelling, but Matt bounced back with the same resilience and grit that have defined him for years. Sadly, post-surgery results revealed the cancer had already spread to nearby lymph nodes. He began chemotherapy almost immediately. But after just three rounds, new scans brought the crushing news that the cancer had metastasised to his liver. It was now Stage 4.

That news rocked our world. But we are never giving up.

From the start, the goal has been clear: understand this disease, fight it with everything we’ve got, and get ahead of it. It’s fast, it’s cunning, and yes, it’s terrifying. But Matt’s courage is stronger. And with your help, we believe he still has a real shot.

Right now, we are preparing to privately fund lifesaving immunotherapy medication; one that offers our greatest prospect of fighting this cancer at its core.

This isn’t just any treatment. It’s an advanced, genetically targeted therapy designed to outsmart the cancer by turning Matt’s own immune system into a powerful weapon. Through extensive genetic testing, we’ve discovered that the cholangiocarcinoma carries specific mutations. These vulnerabilities can now be directly targeted with precision immunotherapy drugs. The medications will work by unmasking the cancer cells, exposing them to Matty’s immune defences, enabling his body to recognise and attack the disease it once couldn’t see.

It is, without question, our most strategic move in this battle — and our best chance to level the playing field.

Our current plan is to privately purchase these medicines and under the guidance of his caring medical team. But this hope doesn’t come cheap. Each monthly cycle of treatment is projected to cost between $10,000 to $15,000. It's a heavy burden, but one we are determined to bear if it means giving Matt what he deserves - the opportunity to watch his children grow up, to laugh with his wife over morning coffee, to simply live the life he treasures. We are investing in time, in possibility, and in every single bit of hope science can offer.

With your support, we can turn this hope into action and give Matt the strongest shot at beating this beast.

In addition to this treatment option, we are desperately trying to help Matty access a revolutionary treatment in the United States called histotripsy.

It’s a non-invasive, FDA approved procedure that uses focused soundwaves to destroy tumours instantly — allowing the immune system to clean up what’s left. It is a treatment option for patients who have tumours in locations that can't be targeted with traditional radiotherapy. It works alongside chemotherapy and immunotherapy, giving patients the best chance of slowing or even reversing their cancer. In Matty’s case, it may offer something priceless: time. More moments with his children. More laughter with his wife.

But the cost is immense.

Each session of histotripsy costs around $50,000 USD, and Matt will need several rounds. On top of that, there are travel costs and the heavy toll of being away from home and work. Your donation, no matter how big or small, will go directly toward these life-saving treatments and supporting Matt’s young family through this unimaginable time. He has given his life to serving others — now, we ask you to join us in lifting him up.

As if fighting cancer wasn't hard enough, Matt is also having to fight another battle against the very system that should be standing by him. Matt began his firefighting journey at just 17, volunteering with the local bushfire brigade before moving into Emergency and Rescue. For many years, he gave his all — responding to hundreds of fires, crashes, and critical callouts. Over these years, Matt was exposed to countless toxic chemicals, fumes, and carcinogens; the unseen dangers of emergency service. These exposures build up, and science now confirms what so many firefighters already know: the job comes with real, long-term health risks.

There is growing and compelling evidence linking Matt’s rare cancer to his prolonged occupational exposure. Internationally, this connection is recognised, and his cancer would be covered under firefighter protection laws, ensuring access to support and compensation. In Australia, however, while presumptive legislation exists to cover a broad range of firefighter-related cancers, bile duct cancer remains notably absent from the list — leaving dedicated volunteers like Matt without the protections they rightfully deserve.

And while career firefighters receive clearer pathways to support, volunteers like Matt are left to navigate a system that doesn’t yet offer the same rights or timelines. Despite his thousands of hours protecting others, Matt now finds himself fighting for recognition, when he should be focusing on the real fight – survival.

That’s why we – his family, his friends, his community — must be the ones to show up for him now. Where the system is failing, we can choose to step in. Together, we can be the safety net that Matt has so often been for others.

Matt isn’t just a fighter — he’s a father, a husband, a son, a brother, a mate, a teacher, a rescuer. He’s never sought praise or thanks for the things he’s done for others. He’s just always done them. With humility, with humour, with heart. Let’s give that back now, in spades.

Here are some meaningful ways you can help make a difference:

1. Donate: Every single dollar counts. We thank you for your donation towards Matt’s health. Money raised will be used for purchase of medications or treatments not accessible through normal health funding, travel expenses to access treatment centres outside of Western Australia and supporting Matthew’s family.

2. Share Matt’s story: Post it far and wide — on social media, in group chats, with friends, neighbours, and even media contacts. The more people who hear about Matt, the more chance we have of reaching our goal.

3. Know a business that might help? We’d love to hear from them. Sponsorships, donations, or in-kind support can go a long way.

4. Have frequent flyer points? Travelling to the USA is a big part of this journey — donated points would be an incredible gift.

5. Raise awareness: Histotripsy is not yet available in Australia. By spreading the word, we can help push for it to become a future option for others facing this terrifying disease.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. For your kindness, for your generosity, for standing with Matty, Helen, and their beautiful kids — Ollie, Finny and Millie — in this fight.

Your support means the world. Truly.

With all our love and deepest thanks,

Matt’s family x