Dear all,

Matthew is a 5 year old boy who has been battling a brain tumour since he was 22 months old. Over the course of his life Matthew's tumour has returned 4 times, that's 6 major episodes of brain surgery (including 2 to have a shunt fitted) and trauma. There has also been further operations to support the administration of Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy and he also needed a 'shunt' fitted to help drain fluid from his brain. In all, Matthew has endured 12 major operations during his life, he is 5 years old and he has endured a lot more than I have in my easy 38 years of life. He has done this without complaint and unfortunately accepts it as the way life is, he knows no different. While I know we all have problems and like to moan about life, money and hangovers, Matthew's attitude to his ordeal is a real inspiration, he is my hero and makes me the proudest father on the planet.

   Matthew was diagnosed in Jan 07, he had been poorly since the previous November. Everything was put down to ear infections or viruses. He lost 2kg in weight, became from pale and must have endured horrendous headaches without complaint. He was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary Newcastle and a week later he was given a CT scan where a lump was discovered at the base of his brain (the cerebellum). Matthew was close to a coma and we very nearly lost him. He was given steriods to relieve the swelling and pressure on his brain, so he was ready for surgery which took place on the 22 Jan 07. He was in theatre for 6 hours and initially came round well. He said one word and that was 'Bob' (a big Bob the Builder fan) and that was it, we never heard him speak again for 8 weeks. If he wasn't going through enough already he also suffered from a rare post-operative condition called 'Post-Fossa syndrome'. This is a condition that even baffles the neurosurgeons but basically stops messages from the brain reaching where they need to reach. Matthew couldn't swallow, talk, walk or even move, he had to be fed through a tube and it took 6 months before he took his first steps again. Matthew had 14-months of chemotherapy thereafter, a rigourous cycle that saw him in hopital every 2-weeks, sometimes for a day other times for a week. With no immune system, he usually spent the rest of the 2-week period in hospital as well.

   The chemo had been used to get him over the age of 3 where radiotherapy could be administered with the hope that his brain was slightly better developed and more able to deal with the therapy. The tumour however returned after 3-months so he had to endure a further 4 hours of surgery before the 6 weeks of radiotherapy (Mon-Fri, weekends off). Thankfully he was clear from tumour for a year but then we had the news that it was back and the only option available was further surgery. Another 3 hours in theatre and we started again, this time, with no after treatment, we only had hope to cling to. That hope wasn't enough and the tumour returned just 3 months later. Oddly, his next surgery would take place 3 years to day that we first took him to hospital and it would be another 3 hours in surgery. Each time the tumour came back it was more aggressive and this time it would come back more aggressive and quicker. it was only 6 weeks before we knew the tumour was back. it was decided that it was unfair to Matthew to keep putting him through the surgery if the tumour was just going to keep coming back. Alternatives are being sought (in America) but in the meantime Matthew has started another course of chemotherapy; unfortunately this is being used as a life-prolonging drug rather than a cure.

   Medicine has come on in leaps and bounds but, without further research we cannot prevent other children going through things like Matthew. Professor Richard Grundy at the Children's Brain Tumour Research Centre in , is the leading expert in this country and he specialises in Matt's type of tumour. Many people have dug deep over the best few years to help us with the financial cost of hospital visits and other aspects of life that have become a priority.

   A lot of the time you sit and feel helpless, your childs life is in the hands of others, you watch your child go through hell and yet he continues to smile and act as if there is nothing wrong. While Matthew's treatment continues in the hands of others, I feel that by raising money for Professor Richard Grundy and his team at the CBRTC, further research can take place and hopefully find a cure so other children don't have to go through anything like what my inspirational son has gone through. Childhood should be about fun, laughter, learning and making friends. Matt hasn't had that chance so I look to my friends to dig deep once more and help this worthwhile cause and hopefully play a small part in finding a cure for this devastating disease.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page and to read the abbreviated version of Matt's life (believe me there's a lot more).

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