Community Corner

Oswego Dad Braving Hodgkin's Lymphoma, How You can Help

Friends of Matt Robbie's family have put together a fundraising website to help with his treatment costs.

Matt Robbie and his wife Coleen McKeown were expecting their child child, a daughter, on January 30, 2013.

What they weren’t expecting was 45 minutes before the birth of daughter Ryenn was the discovery of abnormally large lymph nodes in Matt' chest, discovered because of a persistent cough.

Following tests over the next few weeks, it was discovered on Feb. 22 that Matt, 35, had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which is a cancer of the immune system and as such compromises the body’s ability to fight infection.

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Matt began 6 rounds of chemotherapy and by August his family thought the cancer had been removed. But the instead found out that the Hodgkin’s had returned and somewhere during the second half of his treatments parts of the chemo were no longer working.

On Sept. 11 he began the first of 3-6 doses of ICE chemo treatments, which are performed in isolation.

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Following the treatments he’ll have a stem cell transplant from stem cells that were collected during the treatment process. The stem cell transplant will be done over a period of 4-5 weeks in which Matt will be quarantined and unable to see his children – a son and two daughters. His wife will be allowed to visit, but only with a special gown and mask, as he can’t risk picking up any germs.

Even with medical insurance, there are expenses not covered, out of pocket costs and other fees.

Friends of Matt and Coleen have put together a fundraising website to help pay for some of those costs.

“Every little bit can ease a burden, help make a difference, and give them peace of mind. Your generosity will allow Matt and Coleen the freedom and ability to focus on all the treatments and recovery needed to beat this,” friends write on the site.

They have a fundraising goal of $10,000 and are almost halfway there.

You can visit the fundraising page, MattDaddy Violet Project (MVP) to donate and fore updates on Matt’s treatment.


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