Matt Ratzloff

Matt was diagnosed with mono on January 12, 2017.  He was completely worn out and decided that staying at home in Owatonna was best so that family could help him recover.  The mono symptoms continued to get worse and Matt made multiple trips to the doctor but was always told it was just due to the mono, push the fluids, etc.  On January 25, 2017 Matt went to the ER with a fever of 106 and was extremely weak.  Doctors determined that he had severe pneumonia and was moved to the Intensive Care Unit.  He spent one night in ICU and was subsequently transferred to Methodist Hospital in Rochester as the pathologist believed he could possibly have Leukemia.  A bone marrow test was necessary to determine exactly what was causing his symptoms but doctors suspected and later confirmed that it was Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).  A blood transfusion was started on January 29, 2017 but doctors felt he may have been having a reaction to it so the transfusion was stopped.  Matt's arm with the PICC line began to swell and he was taken down for an ultrasound.  The ultrasound detected a blood clot so the PICC line was removed.  Once he feels better he'll start blood thinners to deal with the blood clot.  Matt was scheduled for surgery on January 30, 2017 to insert the Hickman line in his chest but due to his continued high fevers and vomiting, the surgery was cancelled until the fever goes down.  We're hoping the surgery will take place tomorrow.

Doctors have determined that Matt will require chemo for 7 days straight, 24 hours per day.  Due to his age and how physically fit he is, they feel he'll be able to tolerate this aggressive chemo schedule and may be a good candidate for some medical trials as well.  Hopefully we'll hear more tomorrow as to what type/level his AML is at and then go from there.  Thankfully, doctors are greatly optomistic of Matt being successful with the chemo treatments due in part to his healthy lifestyle, age, strength, etc. 

Matt continually says "I got this" or "I'll beat this" and views the cancer as just a "bump in the road".   He's so positive, always looking to the future and wants to get the chemo started as soon as possible because he's got things to do!  His hope is to start his law enforcement skills program again when he's recovered from this and in true Matthew form, wants to stay in tip top shape so he's requested a bike be moved into his room...leave it to Matt to make his hospital room into a home gym! 

The family would like to thank everyone for their outpouring of love and support for Matthew and quite honestly all of the support that's been shown for all of us; it's been a humbling experience for everyone.  From the calls, visits, Facebook posts, GoFundMe donations, cards, prayers, hugs, etc.....we can't thank you enough! 

I will try to keep this page updated daily so that everyone can keep in touch with Matt's journey to kick cancer's butt!  He has incredible faith in God and will get through this.  Prayer is such a powerful thing and we're confident that God will be with Matt every step of the way during his recovery.

Family is everything!  Hug your kids tight, say you're sorry, be supportive of your parents/brothers/sisters, be a good friend and love the life you have.  We're all going to love Matt through this because NO ONE FIGHTS ALONE!

#ratzloffstrong