Note: If you would like to donate without fees you can Venmo @caitlinmanry

Matt has always been open about his mental health struggles. He and Caitlin are sharing his story to help break the stigma, especially for men. Suicide is the 7th leading cause of death for men, and in 2021, they accounted for 79% of all suicides in the U.S. If you're struggling, please speak up and seek help. Call 988 for support—your life is valuable, and Jesus, the Ultimate Healer, desires your flourishing.

Matt has faced anxiety since childhood and was diagnosed with OCD and depression at 24. Over the years, he’s sought counseling and prioritized mental and spiritual growth. He worked as a pastor at Life Bible for 7 years, taught Bible at a Christian school for 4 years, and now continues to proactively minister to those around him while he works for an amazing local marketing company. He and Caitlin, married for 1.5 years, have a three-month-old daughter, Millie Rose.

Matt’s trials began in 2021 with his mother’s sudden passing from cancer, followed by long-term COVID complications of debilitating nerve pain. To try and manage this nerve pain, he went on a neurological drug called Gabapentin. The drug did nothing to help his pain, so he tried coming off it on Christmas 2021 and his body went into major withdrawals due to developing an unexpected dependance on this drug. All medical professionals he saw couldn’t believe it and did nothing to offer him help. The withdrawals only worsened, causing major depression and suicidal ideation, which led to him being hospitalized in the beginning of February. It took months for him to stabilize and get fully off the drug, and then he suffered from long-term side effects for over a year.

Subsequent years brought recurring health crises, including two more bouts of COVID with long-term nerve pain, and then in January of 2024, he woke up to his appendix rupturing. He had two emergency surgeries (the first one failed), spent time in the ICU, and was in the hospital for two weeks. He is still dealing with the long-term effects of this health episode today.

After his negative experience with gabapentin withdrawal, he dove into extensive research on the effects of neurological drugs, including psychiatric drugs. He decided to begin very slowly tapering off his antidepressant that he had been on for 15 years, with the hopes of living free of it one day. It was going well for about 8 months until his drop in December of 2024 began to cause withdrawal symptoms very similar to his Gabapentin withdrawals. It was the beginning of him reliving his worst nightmare. He began having severe internal tremors, muscle spasms, and was not sleeping well. Everything escalated quickly as the 3.5 years of trauma after trauma caught up to him. He began having suicidal ideations and sunk into major depression.

On January 11, Matt and Caitlin discovered a Christian mental health program, Honey Lake, in Florida. It is a holistic mental health program that addresses mental, physical, and spiritual needs. He will be able to meet with professional therapists, psychiatrists, doctors, as well as pastors and wellness coaches. He will be fed a nutritional diet. It is a beautiful facility with restorative recreational options such as kayaking, hiking, horseback riding, massages, and more. Matt will begin the program on January 13 for 30–45 days.

Matt and Caitlin feel hopeful that this is the best next step that will lead to Matt’s healing and to their long-term flourishing as a family. They took the step of faith knowing the Lord will provide for all their needs. Caitlin works part-time so she be with Millie Rose, and Matt's job is their primary income. They use a health sharing plan that does not provide mental health care coverage. The combination of the program and other needs during this time will be approximately $35,000. Any gift is so appreciated, and they are deeply grateful.

Update from Caitlin (Jan 20th):

This past week has been full of unexpected challenges since we took Matt to Honey Lake on the 13th. When Matt got to Honey Lake, the intensity of his needs was such that they transferred him to a hospital and later decided their program wasn’t the best fit for his needs. We had to scramble to arrange for a friend to pick him up and bring him home on Friday. While we understand his situation was complex, we were very disappointed in how they handled aspects of his care, and to say the least the whole experience was a gut punch and now we are trying to figure out what’s next.

We have been BLOWN away by the generosity of so many people we know and even those we don't. $25,933 has been given

We want to communicate transparently with you all about what is happening, as so many of you have committed to praying for us and many have donated toward his care. We know his care will involve a team and will be a long, costly journey that’s not covered by insurance, but we’re still trying to figure out the details and whether there is a facility that is a good fit or if it will involve consistent care by a team with Matt living at home.

If anyone feels uncomfortable with the unexpected changes of his care and wishes to receive their donation back, please don't hesitate to contact me. We are grateful for your generosity and want to honor the intent it was given for. For now we are capping our fundraising goal at $25k until we have a better idea if more is needed.

We will continue to provide updates as the Lord leads us to his next steps. We feel so surrounded by support, so know how grateful we are for every text, prayer, and donation.

Thank you for contending with us for Matt’s wholeness ❤️‍