Hi, I'm Matt, and I have a hellacious bout of Crohn's disease, an autoimmune disorder that slowly destroys the GI tract and can lead to serious complications.

First off, a huge thank you to everyone who pitched in last year; you pulled my ass out of the fire. Without you I would never have made it to a diagnosis or a possible path to recovery.

-- The Situation --

After years of bouncing around doctors, endless tests and deteriorating health, I got a great new doc who was able to pin down a proper diagnosis: a severe case of Crohn's disease - a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that has no real cure and will be with me for the rest of my life.

It causes the autoimmune system to go haywire in the GI tract, with a number of symptoms and complications. In my case it's resulted in constant pain, ulcers, severe inflammation, nausea/vomiting and serious damage to my digestive tract. It’s left me essentially disabled and unable to work for the better part of 2 years now.

Left untreated, it puts me at serious risk of cancer and/or surgery to remove the damaged portions of my intestines. Gnarly stuff I would really like to avoid. I've been on oral steroids for almost a year now just to knock my immune system down enough to keep my symptoms from becoming immediately life-threatening.

-- The Plan --

My GI doc is starting me on a new treatment for my Crohn's disease that has the potential to give me my life back. An IV infusion immunosuppressant that targets and repairs the damage caused by the disease, ideally leading towards full remission.

My goal with this fundraiser is to cover at least 6 months of medical costs. Enough time to start seeing real improvement and hopefully getting back on my feet again.

This disease has absolutely wrecked me, I’ve been reduced to a shell of a Matt.

I'm constantly exhausted and in pain, been practically bedridden for the last few months. I can barely eat a meal a day, and I've lost 30 lbs since the start of all this.

This disease has really done a number on me, but now I have some very real hope for the first time in years. I want to see my friends again, make my art, tromp the earth and continue to taste the world.

Lovely people, I humbly request your assistance in this endeavor.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart <3