MattB's Auction has Launched!

March 7th, 2011

Hey Everyone,

Thanks again for donating. There's a new opportunity for you to support MattB. We've launched a series of auctions on eBay with proceeds going to benefit MattB! Check them out, bid, and share with your friends.

http://stores.ebay.com/MattB-Charity-Auction

With gratitude,
Andrea Birskovich

Ho Ho Holiday Update on MattB's Blog

December 17th, 2010

Please check out the latest news on Matt's health, the growth of his support network, and ways that you can continue to help. MattB has posted a new video update on his blog!

Biography of MattB

December 10th, 2010

Thanks to everyone has joined our network of support donating time, resources, money, and more! Please introduce your friends, family, acquaintances to MattB. His story is compelling and his need is great.

By the time he was 22 months old, Matt was 100% blind. His advanced retinoblastoma had claimed first one eye and then the other. The doctors severed his optic nerves and removed his eyes to stop the tumors from spreading to his brain. Enduring much less refined treatment courses of radiation and chemotherapy in the late 70’s, Matt’s young body eventually recovered.

He adapted to his blindness. Mainstreamed into the public school system by 1st grade, Matt often found himself to be the only blind child in his class, grade, school, and even district. He showed great aptitude for academics, and with supplemental mobility training, he got around with a general ease, save for a few unwanted bumps and lumps. He was adventurous, climbing into treetops to feel the breeze and hear sounds carried on the wind. He learned to ride a two-wheel bike, and zoomed down the neighborhood’s steepest hill.  He was fearless.

In addition to the physical challenges he faced due to his blindness, Matt also experienced tremendous grief from losses during his youth. In the summer of 1990, his father passed away after a 2-year battle with cancer. And it wasn’t even a year later when his baby sister drowned in the family’s backyard swimming pool over Memorial Day weekend. With a heavy heart, Matt kept pursuing life beyond these personal tragedies.

In high school at Bellarmine College Prep (Class of 1995), Matt’s artistic side began to blossom. His gifted imagination, cultivated early during childhood, gave way to a talent in writing both prose and poetry.  Matt’s attuned senses of both empathy and comedic timing earned him key roles in school stage productions. His musical abilities, first exercised on the piano before his feet even reached the pedals, matured and Matt started playing the guitar. He hasn’t stopped since.

At 20, Matt underwent surgery on his leg, to retrieve a receding quadricep muscle and reattach its ligament to his knee. It was a painful recovery with Matt using a walker and crutches along the road to rehabilitation, but he healed and continued to get around just fine with his 3-year old guide dog, Nassau.

Just 6 months later in January of 1998, Matt had a benign tumor removed from his jaw. A routine cleaning had revealed some abnormally deep gum pockets. Diagnostic tests found the mass. He was told the tumor was of a reoccurring variety, and that he would need to keep an eye on the area.

Matt graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a Bachelor of the Arts in Guitar Performance playing both classical and electric. He played in various bands and ensembles, and taught lessons to fuel his dreams of becoming a rock star.

In 2002, Matt had surgery to remove a second benign tumor from his jawbone. He had 3 teeth pulled, and a piece of his hip bone was used as a graft to rebuild his jaw. Matt’s mouth was wired shut leaving him sore, achy, and on liquid diet for 8 weeks.  Again, Matt recovered, and his trademark ravenous appetite returned.

Matt fell in and out of love a few times. He continued to hone his musical craft- playing and teaching guitar. A thoughtful guy with a big heart, Matt continued to attract all types of people to himself, celebrating each of his friends’ unique qualities and talents. One special friend, expanded Matt’s world by introducing him to active human echo location. Again, Matt adapted quickly, and his new mobility skill came in quite useful when his guide dog, Nassau, passed on. Matt has taught active human echo location, among other practical life skills, to visually impaired children at sleep-away camp.

Last summer, Matt discovered a mass on his hip. Upon testing and surgical removal, doctors announced that Matt had a leiomyosarcoma tumor- the same type of cancer his father had died from at 43 years old, when Matt was just 13. After surgery to remove the mass, Matt submitted to follow-up scans, and he continued to show no signs of recurrence.

In May of this year, Matt thought he had a sinus infection. He went to his doctor, received a course of antibiotics, but felt no better. After a few weeks of suffering congestion, painful headaches, and pressure in his sinuses, he returned to the doctor, only to be given an alternative course of antibiotics. When this, too, had no effect, Matt made an appointment to see his oncologist to schedule a CT scan of his head.

The results showed a mass in his sinus cavity. A biopsy confirmed that the leiomyosarcoma was back. In fact, the mass in Matt’s face was likely the cancer’s primary location even prior to the discovery and removal of the mass from his hip in 2009. Upon his diagnosis, Matt began to research available treatments.

At the end of September, after many man-hours donated by family and friends to researching the spectrum of cancer treatments -from cutting-edge Western medicines to progressive holistic alternatives- Matt departed to Sanoviv Medical Institute in Rosarito Beach, Mexico. The hefty fee for the private hospital was generously covered by a close family friend from the past.

While at Sanoviv, Matt received various forms of electromagnetic therapy, ozone therapy, lymphatic drainage, bio-chemotherapy, and dendritic cell therapy. He worked with a team of doctors to detoxify his system. He had a full schedule of appointments each day that he diligently attended, and he focused on healing himself.

When Matt returned from Mexico, his system rebelled. Feeling nauseous and with increasing pressure in his head and nose, Matt went for diagnostic scans. The scans showed that the main mass in his sinuses had increased in size, as had the metastasized tumors in his lungs, and a tumor had recurred in his hip. With a cancer so advanced and aggressive, Matt’s 5 weeks of treatments at Sanoviv were unable to make their intended impact.

The day before Thanksgiving, Matt started a 6 to 8 week course of general radiation treatment.  He is currently receiving treatment 5 days a week. The pain in his head has necessitated that he take significant dose of morphine to get through the day. His body is already greatly fatigued by the treatments, though his sleep is inconsistent with only brief periods of rest.

Matt is very much aware that the odds are not in his favor, and still he continues his quest for wellness. Having endured and overcome so many medical challenges already in just 33 years, it’s almost unbelievable that he is now walking the thin line between life and death. Despite his body’s weakened state, Matt’s resolve to pursue life is strong.

How can you help MattB?

Visit and subscribe to his blog: http://mattbvscancer.com

Join his Facebook community of support: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_154445097932518&ap=1

Donate to his treatment & living expenses: http://www.giveforward.com/mattbvscancer or via PayPal

Donate new or used handmade or store-bought items or services for the upcoming online auctions. Contact MattBAuction@gmail.com for details.

Join the MattB vs. Cancer Facebook Group Page and

November 12th, 2010

We are launching a 2 week campaign to build the MattB vs. Cancer Facebook group. With generous donations from Matt Williams, Keith Allaun, and Bill Hughes, MattB’s GiveForward fundraiser will receive $1 for each additional member added to his Facebook group between now and Friday, November 26 (the day after Thanksgiving). Please message your friends, update your status with this information, or add trusted friends to the group directly, but please share this campaign with your Facebook network. Each friend that you can introduce to MattB’s cause earns $1 towards Matt’s daily living expenses, outstanding doctors bills, and treatment. Your support is so needed and appreciated.

For more information on how to promote this membership drive via Facebook, please visit Matt's blog: http://mattbvscancer.com/?p=141.

Meet and Keep up with MattB

November 6th, 2010

MattB has a blog to keep folks in the loop. It features video updates with Matt, blog entries from his sister, Andrea, and most importantly, ways to help Matt.

Please visit http://mattbvscancer.com/ and share it with your network of friends and family. Everyone should know MattB!