November 5th, 2020 Matthew went in for a colonoscopy to determine the cause of intermittent rectal bleeding and constipation. Over the next few weeks with numerous scans Matthew was diagnosed with stage 4 rectal cancer with metastasis to the liver and multiple lymph node chains.
Matthew’s fight and determination was present from the start. He was eager to get started with chemotherapy and give this cancer everything he had. Matthew began treatment with eight rounds of chemotherapy lasting from November through February 2021. His first scan showed amazing improvement in both the size of the rectal tumor and the metastases. Despite the side effects he was enduring, the positive outcome encouraged him to continue this chemotherapy regimen. He continued for another four rounds but was recommended to stop when the side effects threatened to become permanent.
At this time Matthew was given the opportunity to enroll in a clinical trial hosted by MD Anderson in Houston that promised a targeted therapy that would work specifically on a rare mutation that his cancer possesed. An unfortunate set of circumstances left Matthew without treatment for seven weeks and the hopes of this trial faded away. After this gap in treatment a rapidly increasing presence of symptoms from his primary tumor led his medical team to recommend a short course of radiation in June 2021.
A new set of scans revealed that his cancer had spread further and immediate action was taken to start a new line of chemotherapy. After completing four rounds of this intense chemotherapy, without any symptom relief, another scan showed even greater growth and progression from just eight weeks prior, and more specifically his liver showed substantial damage.
At this point, all standard of care chemotherapy options were exhausted and Matthew chose to seek one final opinion from MD Anderson in Houston in mid September 2021. The hopes for targeted liver radiation and the clinical trial from before were what kept his fighting spirit alive. Unfortunately, Matthew’s cancer had become too aggressive and his liver was too far damaged to qualify for any further treatment. He was already in the beginning stages of liver failure and at this point the decision was made to enter hospice care for the remainder of his life.
You can see more about Matthew’s battle in his own words as he documented his journey via the following GoFundMe.