Please Help Matthew and Megan Through a Medical Crisis

Life can be unpredictable, and asking for help is never easy. But sometimes when the burden becomes too heavy to carry alone, community is what gets us through.

Our dear friends Matthew and Megan need us now.

Matthew is currently experiencing a major depressive episode that began last September. He has courageously battled similar episodes three times in the past. Throughout, Megan, his partner of 30 years, has stood by his side. But after months of trying to manage this crisis on their own, they have reached a breaking point emotionally, physically, and financially.

Matthew has worked as a union set dresser in Hollywood for the past 22 years. Like many in the entertainment industry, their family was deeply affected by the downturn in production work.

Matthew fell just 35 hours short of qualifying to maintain the family’s health insurance benefits.

The family appealed to the Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plans, hoping for an exception, but their request was formally denied.

This loss has been devastating.

Matthew is also a Type 1 diabetic, and without health insurance he lost access not only to his endocrinologist, psychiatrist, and primary care physician, but also to TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) treatment, care that had been enormously helpful in managing previous depressive episodes.

Matthew and Megan are extraordinary people: devoted parents, generous friends, gifted artists, and beloved neighbors. Their twin daughters, Frances and Ray, are equally remarkable young women, both talented artists currently finishing their first year at art college and music conservatory. Their dad means the world to them.

For the last 25 years, Matthew and Megan have built a life rooted in creativity, compassion, and community in Los Angeles. Through their artwork, collaborations, public offerings, and acts of friendship, they have given themselves to the people around them.

Now they need that community to help them weather this storm.

We are living in a time when the social safety net feels increasingly fragile, if not completely torn, and it is heartbreaking and enraging that families facing medical crises are forced to turn to crowdfunding just to survive. But this is also what community is for: showing up for each other in moments of vulnerability, even when it is painful to ask.

Our goal is to raise $7,000

to help cover Matthew’s immediate treatment costs and give the family a path forward toward wellness, stability, and hope.

If you are able to contribute, no amount is too small.

And if you can’t give, sharing this with others would help!

Thank you for your generosity, compassion, and for helping this beautiful family through an incredibly difficult chapter.