Please help Matthew’s brain tumor healing journey

Our family was shocked with some devastating news about our 11 year old boy, Matthew Emerson. He was diagnosed with a large temporal lobe mass on Saturday - May 31, 2025. We were seeing a neurologist for seizures and worsening symptoms when suddenly things got way worse over that weekend and we ended up in the ER. Matthew was immediately transported from Greensboro, NC to Duke Children’s pediatric ICU where a team of doctors were waiting for us at 2 AM on Sunday. By Tuesday, June 3rd Matthew was in emergency brain surgery and being operated on by the chief of neurosurgery at Duke and her team. Matthew had a 6.5 hour surgery and his mass was able to be fully removed and he has since had two MRI’s and a CT scan and will have repeat imaging on June 20th. During this time our main focus is making sure Matthew is comfortable, safe, his pain is managed and his spirits are high. Understandably, this situation has caused a whirlwind of emotions, anxiety and worry for all of us and mainly Matthew. We are doing our best to keep his spirits high and keep him distracted by fear while we await the results from his oncology doctor. In the meantime, Brandon (his Dad) and I are trying to stay home with him and watch over him - he has had extreme separation anxiety since this all started. Between normal bills, medical bills, his special meds (he is on 8) and his emergency seizure meds - not fully covered by insurance (they’re $2,200 with insurance), traveling back and forth to Duke and upcoming specialty appointments we are overwhelmed. We are hoping and praying that Matthew is able to heal mentally, physically and spiritually from this, but we will not know the next steps until June 20th when we meet with his neurosurgeon team and oncologist at Duke Children’s. We have received so much love, prayers and get well soon gifts/cards and we are beyond thankful for everyone’s support for Matthew during this time. Right now Matthew is able to stand for short periods and walk very short distances but his left side of his body will require some physical/occupational therapy to regain strength. He currently has some tingling/nerve issues with his left arm. The doctor expected Matthew to have major vision disturbances in his left eye and by the grace of God his vision has not been impacted.

we are trying our best to give Matthew a fun filled summer despite his mobility restrictions. He is a preteen boy who loves soccer, cycling, running, swimming and playing outside so being still has been a huge struggle for him. He also enjoys drawing, aviation, turtles and portrait art.

Matthew has three siblings that think the absolute world of him. He has an older sister, Natalie who is his built in best friend. We are hoping to put Natalie in counseling as soon as possible to help her heal through this - she witnessed Matthew have a seizure where he stopped breathing on the Saturday we took him to the ER. Natalie is really struggling with his health scares and seeing him weak/in pain. We are doing our best to balance caregiving, ensuring all of our kid’s mental and physical needs are met as well as making sure Brandon and I are eating/sleeping. The PICU is a scary place to be with very little time for sleep.

Any help, a card, a get well soon sign, a prayer or positive thought means the absolute world to us and it will certainly cheer up Matthew.

we will update as we are able to and we find out more information. This is all very fresh and new to us still.

At this time Matthew is home while we await his tumor results from oncology. He is being closely monitored by Mom, Dad and his grandparents who are assisting with the other little ones at home. This fundraiser is to assist with medical bills, groceries, Mom and Dad taking a temporary leave of absence from work, his medications (that are very expensive even with insurance), counseling/support and things to help keep his spirits high (art supplies/books/special interest stuff). We thank anyone willing to contribute from the bottom of our hearts.