David Matasar

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David’s story began this past Spring with a small lump that would change all of our lives. 

David noticed some swelling in his lower abdomen and thought it was a hernia. He consulted with a surgeon who said the lump was not a hernia, but likely enlarged lymph nodes. The specialist ordered a PET scan to be performed as soon as possible. With the help of friends (shout out to Sheldon Cin and Perry Gilbert) he got in quickly for the scan and it was read almost immediately. We got the preliminary results on Saturday from Perry and we were seeing Dr. Mark Kozloff on Monday.  

David was diagnosed with Stage 2 Non Hodgkin's Mantle Cell Lymphoma in April 2017.

He began Chemotherapy treatment in May. David loves cocktails (mostly Manhattans). Unfortunately, this wasn’t that fun kind of cocktail. You wouldn’t know it from David’s attitude and outlook over the course of the next several weeks.

He made fast friends with everyone he encountered during his treatments. Nurses would find reasons just to come hang out in the room to soak up his positivity.  The experience at Ingalls Hospital was phenomenal, from Dr. Kozloff’s amazing staff to all of the nurses and doctors who were always there to make things go smoothly and comfortably.

David underwent five treatments over the course of 15 weeks. Each treatment harder than the last. Nonetheless, he persevered. Some days were better than others. All of these treatments were difficult but David found ways to keep himself busy between the constant stream of visitors, work emails and phone calls. Most of the time, people had no idea he was talking to them from the hospital or that he was hooked up to an IV chemo cocktail.  

We would like to extend our deepest appreciation to all those who visited, sent notes or well wishes. Your support makes all the difference in the world. We would also like to offer a special thank you to David’s company, Ferguson, for their unwavering support throughout this medical challenge. 

We are feeling very lucky and blessed. Lucky to be surrounded by the most amazing community of friends and family anyone could ask for. We were lucky. Lucky to go from a doctor’s visit, to a scan, to results, to a plan of action within just a few short days. The help we received to make all this happen so quickly was truly a blessing.  We will be forever grateful for everyone that helped get us through these first few scary days and beyond.  The care we have received is beyond fantastic. Dr. Mark Kozloff and Dr. Justin Kline are rockstars in their field and we could not get better care anywhere in the world.

This brings us to today. David has officially completed the first stage of his cancer treatment. He is currently preparing for the next step in his journey, a Stem Cell Transplant. This process will begin in October.