Burkitt's Lymphoma - Mathew's Story

"You never think these things are going to happen when you're bringing your baby home from the hospital."
Mathew's Mom


Meet Mathew:

The summer before he was set to start Kindergarten, Mathew, an active boy from central Minnesota, fell ill with what his family thought was the flu. Most of his symptoms were not out of the ordinary, his tummy hurt and he had the chills. But there were a few oddities. He was hungry and at one point was actually craving chili dogs. How odd, his parents thought, he has the flu, but is craving CHILLI DOGS? His stomach also felt hard and it was swollen.

Lives Changed with a Few Words
After a week without getting any better, Mathew’s parents took him to the emergency room. There the doctors found a large mass in his abdomen and he was later diagnosed with Burkitt’s Lymphoma. Mathew went through six months of intense treatment that was supposed to dissolve his tumor. Unfortunately he needed surgery to remove the reminder of the tumor and a stem cell transplant, which was performed by the University of Minnesota, Children’s Hospital Fairview, one of the best transplant programs in the country due to the support of Children’s Cancer Research Fund.

Attitude is Everything
Mathew maintained an incredibly positive outlook and did not even consider death as a possibility when he was going through his treatment, even though his cancer was not responding as they had hoped. Ever inquisitive, he always wanted to know everything that was going on when he was going through treatment. He wanted the doctors to talk to him, not just his parents.

Taking a Unique Path
Mathew took his own unique route to get to a cure. Mathew’s treatment was a success. Today, after having won his battle with cancer, he is pursuing acting, sports and at just age eleven, is considering a career in medicine. Again, Mathew demonstrates that he is wise beyond his years. Those who love him just want him to grow up to be happy and fulfilled.


Story: http://www.childrenscancer.org/stories-of-hope/kids-stories/matthew.html

GO MATHEW!