Where are they now? | Matt

When Matthew was just 18-months old, he was diagnosed with a Wilms’ tumor and was forced to have his kidney removed on Christmas morning. His diagnosis brought with it a level of uncertainty, fear and desperation for his family. Especially his mother, Margy. “It was Christmas morning at 8:00am when Matt had his right kidney removed. He was in intensive care for a few days after that and then his treatment plan went into full effect,” Margy said. “He had to undergo chemotherapy every week and let me tell you, walking into those doctor’s offices and waiting in those waiting rooms is something that no parent ever wants to experience.”

As Matthew progressed through his treatment plans, he developed other complications that impacted his joints and ability to walk. He was forced to wear braces on both legs while he slept and physical therapy to strengthen his legs to help him regain the strength necessary to walk.

When it came time for Matt to choose his one-true wish he decided he wanted to go to Disney World to see Winnie the Pooh. “I can’t remember why it started, but he had an infatuation with Winnie the Pooh and wanted to go to Disney World," Margy said. "Matt had Winnie the Pooh slippers, a stuffed Pooh bear, and loved the idea of seeing his favorite Disney character."

“Looking back on it all now it seems like a fog,” Margy said. “There was so much negativity with Matthew’s diagnosis and the ongoing treatments. When Make-A-Wish entered the picture and his two wish granters arrived at our door, it was like a weight was lifted. A snowball of positivity began rolling for Matt and a piece of his childhood was restored.”

Not only was this snowball of positivity rolling for Matthew, but his entire family. When asked about what the wish experience meant to her family as a whole, Margy stated, “What it did for Matt’s three other siblings, my husband and I was incredible. Just to know that there is an entire support group of caring individuals out there who were going to give us this magical experience was amazing. We didn’t have to think about anything. It was a dream come true for our entire family.”

“The joy of seeing everyone so happy and seeing Matt so carefree was incredible. We weren’t thinking about needles, shots, or pain, we could all just focus on the positive things that were happening. He was able to be a kid again and that was something that meant so much to me and my family. As a mom you want your kids to be happy and I always feel like the greatest gift you can give them is pure, innocent joy. And I feel like his wish was able to do just that. Seeing the gleam in his eyes or the joy when his favorite Disney characters came around was something that I will never forget.”

As Matt got older and overcame his critical illness, he set his sights on creating a positive change in the world. While in high-school he developed an interest in the Mandarin culture and started their Mandarin Club. He began to immerse himself in the Mandarin language and upon graduation, asked his parents if he could apply for a scholarship to study abroad in China. “When Matt came to us to ask permission to apply for the scholarship, he told us that he wanted to take a year off before college and go overseas,” Margy said. “It’s something every parent is nervous about, but ultimately we decided that he could apply, and he was awarded the scholarship.”

During that first year, Matt soaked up everything he could while studying abroad. He became a sponge and developed an even deeper affinity toward the Mandarin culture and its people. When he returned home, he decided he was going to apply for a scholarship at Ole Miss to join their School of International and Cross International Studies. “Matt chose Ole Miss because it was one of a dozen or so that had a flagship program where he could take Chinese and Mandarin honors courses,” Margy said. “And of course, he was awarded the scholarship and accepted.” While at Ole Miss, Matt decided to take up Swahili and took an elective to explore this newfound passion. “Matt excelled in Swahili and even decided he wanted to spend a summer in Tanzania,” his mother stated.

Fast forward to today and Matt is a graduate of Ole Miss who is currently studying at the Peking University and hopes to one day strengthen the economic relationship between China and the eastern Swahili speaking African nations. Matt speaks fluent Swahili, Mandarin, Latin, Greek, Spanish and he is working on his master’s degree. He plans to work with world leaders upon graduation to accomplish his dream of making the world a better place.