Bats for Matt
Dear Friends and Family,
Welcome to our Make-A-Wish® fundraising
page. Please take a moment to learn about our cause. Together, we can help make
wishes come true for children with life-threatening medical conditions.
From Matt's younger sister, Kim:
My older brother Matt was an ordinary
kid who loved sports, spending time with friends, and teasing his younger
siblings. Matt excelled as a straight-A student all through school, broke high school
records as a four-year varsity athlete, and had
a contagious smile that could cheer you up on the worst of days.
Although we fought in car rides, I cried when he tricked me into eating a hot
pepper, and he teased me non-stop about boys, I secretly wanted to be just like
Matt and follow the path he set before me. Matt taught me to push limits but
stay out of trouble, to drive when I couldn't wait for drivers ed. (sorry Mom
and Dad¦), and to take the lead rather than living life as a follower.
When Matt was a freshman at the
University of North Carolina, he became very sick, and after seeing many
doctors he was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma. He obviously never expected
to spend his time in college in and out of hospital rooms (especially at collegiate
rival Duke) but Matt kept his spirits high and even carried the rest of our
family when times were tough. Matt was so optimistic that it came as a total
shock to me when I woke up one March morning to hear that Matt, my brother,
friend and role model, was gone.
It's been almost seven years since we
lost Matt, and we remember how he lived his 21 years to the fullest and touched
us all in so many ways. Since Matt passed, I've continued to follow in his
footsteps as a Tarheel and have thought, "What would Matt do in this
situation? during every big decision I had to make knowing he would guide
me to the right answer. His legacy has outlived his short life.
In memory of Matt and so many others we
have lost to cancer, please consider making a donation to Make-A-Wish in order
to help grant a wish for a child with a life-threatening illness thats going
through the same hardships that Matt had to. Wishes not only allow these kids
to live out their dreams, but they provide hope and strength to make it through
endless chemo treatments, surgeries, and time away from friends and family.
Donations from people like you have
helped grant wishes every 38 minutes for children like Olivia who wanted to go
on a Disney Cruise, Noah who wanted to go to the NBA All-Star Game, and Bionca
who wanted to attend her senior prom. Lets pitch in and help make more dreams
come true.
Thank you for your continued support of our organization and the Make-A-Wish Children.
