Matthew's Journey

Matthew was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (A.L.L.)on November 27, 2000. After 3 years and 2 months of chemotherapy, Matthew officially completed chemotherapy on January 26, 2004!


Sadly, Matthew relapsed in December 2004. We begin this fight and journey once again. I am thrilled to share that on July 20th, 2007 Matthew finished chemo for the second and hopefully last time!


On October 10th at 4pm we received the horrible news that Matthew had relapsed again, this time in his Central Nervous System. Our world has been shattered once again. We are fighting for remission and then on to a bone marrow transplant.


On January 24th 2008 after Cranial, Total Body (TBI) and Testicular radiation and 3 days of very strong chemo, Matthew received the gift of life from an unrelated donor. Our hearts are filled with gratitude to the wonderful lady that donated her bone marrow to Matthew. We hope to make contact with her after the mandatory one year mark! My son is a fighter and one of the strongest young men that I know.

Normal Counts:
Hemoglobin 13.0-16.0
Platelets (Plates) 150,000-450,000
White Blood Cell(WBC) 4,500-13,500
AGC (ANC) 1000 or greater


Matthew�s Poem
By: Alicia Heimann
(Nursing Student at St. Mary�s College)

Cancer you say
What is that?
How can it be?
I am only eight.
That is still young you see.

My throat hurts.
That is all.
Nothing else.
Please explain this to me.

Mom says it is called,
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia,
ALL for short,
Believe me I would rather be sick because of a sport.

The needles hurt.
What more can I say?
You give me poison,
And expect me to stay?

Alright, almost through.
My counts are up.
I feel brand new.

I did it!
I won!
The cancer is gone!
Mom calls me her victorious one.

Life goes on.
It seems so new.
Back to school, homework, sports and play
As normal kids do.

Uh, oh.
Not feeling so hot.
Mom, I think I need to see the doc.

He looks me in the eye.
Tells me the solemn news.
The cancer is back.
No time to lose.

I look at mom.
Scared and confused.
Am I going to die?
What do we do?

It�s not fair.
I do not see.
Is this a merry Christmas for me?

Harder this time.
Why is that so?
I have already taken such an extraordinary blow.

More needles.
I can hardly wait.
Hurry up already,
Give me my birthday cake.

Thirteen years old.
A brand new teen.
I am ready to fight,
To get my cells clean.

More chemo and drugs,
Some old, some new.
Just make sure,
The barf bucket is in view.

No hair on my head.
That is no bother.
Because neither does my awesome brother.

I love my mom,
Family and friends.
They all support me,
With out-stretched hands.

Trips to the hospital
Are no fun.
But, I do get to see,
The nurses I love.

Some days good.
Others bad.
That depends on the meds I have had.

Strong to the end.
Not a weak pup.
Continue to fight.
Never give up!
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Matthews Worldwide Prayer Chain

I had another idea I know I know another crazy Mom idea.

We get guestbook entries and emails daily with wonderful loving, caring people assuring us that they are praying for Matthew. I thought it might be interesting to see how far around the world Matthew's prayer chain can go. So, I thought I'd try to keep track daily when a new person from a new location lets us know they are praying for Matthew.

So, starting yesterday (1/13/08) I'm going to keep track and place the list above. So pass the word to your friends and family far and wide. Please Pray for Matthew!

1. Alabama, USA
2. Antwerp, Belgium
3. Arizona, USA
4. Arkansas, USA
5. Auckland, New Zealand
6. Australia
7. Baumholder, Germany
8. Barcelona, Spain
9. British Columbia, Canada
10. Buenos Aires, Argentina
11. Cairo, Egypt
12. California, USA
13. Changzhou, JS China
14. Colorado, USA
15. Connecticut, USA
16. Florida, USA
17. Focsani, Romania
18. Gent, Belgium
19. Georgia, USA
20. Great Western, Australia
21. Holland
22. Idaho, USA
23. Illinois, USA
24. Iowa, USA
25. Indiana, USA
26. Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada
27. Kelowna, British Columbia
28. Kentucky, USA
29. Lankaran, Azerbaijan
30. Lima, Peru
31. Louisiana, USA
32. London, England
33. Luanda, Angola
34. Luxembourg, Europe
35. Lyons, France
36. Maine, USA
37. Manitoba, Canada
38. Maryland, USA
39. Massachusetts, USA
40. Michigan, USA
41. Minnesota, USA
42. Mississippi, USA
43. Missouri, USA
44. Montana, USA
45. Moscow, Russia
46. Nebraska, USA
47. Nevada, USA
48. New Hampshire, USA
49. New Jersey, USA
50. New Mexico, USA
51. New York, USA
52. North Carolina, USA
53. North Dakota, USA
54. Ohio, USA
55. Oklahoma, USA
56. Oregon, USA
57. Ottawa, Canada
58. Pennsylvania, USA
59. Rhode Island, USA
60. Saint-Brieuc, France
61. Sotogrande, Spain
62. South Carolina, USA
63. South Dakota, USA
64. Tennesee, USA
65. Texas, USA
66. Vannes, France
67. Vermont, USA
68. Virginia, USA
69. Washington, USA
70. Washington DC, USA
71. West Virginia, USA
72. Wisconsin, USA
73.Paris, France

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Here is to Matthew .....By Tammy from New Mexico

Matthew is just a youngin
only 16 years of age
He has been through more than most of us
Oh, how can he explain
The trials that he has conquered,
The efforts that have poured
through his veins and onward,
from the people on his ward.

We pray for you, oh Matthew.
We pray that you would be
the son that defies logic,
and defines humanity.

We pray your stable spirit
will prevail on through these fights,
We pray the Lord will guide you
and keep you through the nights.

We pray for something awesome,
something power, something free.
We pray these words to reach you
and touch upon your cheek.

Dear Matthew, you are held
in prayers around the earth.
Your story touches all of us,
and all of us have heard
the gentle voice of heaven
just a whisperin your name
for us to pray and honor
the call from God again.
To pray for all our neighbors,
To pray for peace and love,
and offer our thanksgivings
to the One who lives above.

Amen.

Journal

Friday, October 23, 2015 3:34 PM CDT

Hello to anyone who might still be checking in on Matthew.

I just experienced over the past 2.5 weeks the most amazing moments a person could ever experience. Matthew got married. Yes, you read that right, our miracle boy got married to sweet Emily. To make this emotional moment even more emotional, Martina the humblest, most generous and most loving woman in Germany attended the wedding. This amazing woman just happens to be the woman who helped save Matthew’s life. She gave him the gift of her bone marrow, the gift of life. This woman from a small village in Bavaria was a perfect match for my son. She willingly said yes, when asked, to going through a very painful procedure to save a complete stranger’s life. The tears have flowed like a river during her stay with us. Happy tears, emotional tears, thankful tears and loving tears. As I said a tearful goodbye today to this very special woman, I let her know that I loved her before we actually “met” and I loved her even more today. I am lucky to have gained another sister in my life.

We are thanking God for the miracle of Matthew and Emily!

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