My name is Matthew. I am now 13 years old and in eighth grade. I love superheroes, especially Spiderman! I swim on the summer swim team and play the trumpet in my school band. I love to draw and make up my own super hero comics; and when I am older I want to be a You-Tuber.
Today I am cancer free! I finished my chemotherapy just before I was six years old. Here's my story:
When I was two years old I developed a cough that wouldn't go away. I felt tired and sick all of the time and kept going to the doctor's office; but they really didn't know why I kept getting sick. I was often pale and had little energy. That year I didn't run around at the pumpkin patch and by Thanksgiving my tummy looked big and puffy. I was admitted into the hospital on December 12, 2009. I was so sick that my kidneys and heart weren't working right. But I was lucky because my doctors and nurses were very good. They diagnosed me with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL-T Cell Type). I was an early responder to treatment and for the most part I did well. I did have to stay in the hospital several times over the four years of treatment; but now I really only get sick just like any other kid would.
I am lucky because I am healthy and I have a family who loves me. I have a kitty named Oreo who likes to snuggle me; and I have wonderful friends who have helped me and my family in so many ways.
This year my brother Scotty (16), and my best swim buddies, Alexander and Benjamin, will be shaving our heads at the St. Baldricks March 5, 2021 Virtual Event (Sponsored by the Franklin Park Fire Department). This will be my brother's and my fifth time! My sister Kelsey has donated her hair five times!
We will always be grateful for the life saving treatments that are now available to children like me...so much because of the generosity of all of you who contribute to fundraising events such as St. Baldricks.
Thank you for supporting me and the more than 300,000 kids worldwide who will be diagnosed with cancer this year. By sharing the gifts of your time, talent and money with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, you're supporting research to give all kids with cancer a better chance for a cure.
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