Matthew “Matt” Coleman, is the youngest sibling of four in the George Coleman Family. Matt is 38 and lives in Mobile, Alabama with his daughter Alyssa.
Matt has been battling heart disease since he was 26. This was brought on by a virus that attacked his heart causing him to have congestive heart failure. Dr. Kenneth Burnham at Cardiologist Associates began treating him at that time. This enabled Matt to spend the next 12 years living a normal life. He is the proud father of the sweetest daughter Alyssa who is now 14. Matt and Alyssa’s mother work together to give her the best life possible.
Matt has spent the last 10 years building his own business. He owns a commercial cleaning company and has become an asset to many businesses in our community. This past year has left him wondering if he will be able to continue to provide for his family.
In October of 2022 Matt’s health started to decline rapidly. We were devastated to learn that the medications he had been taking were no longer working and more extreme measures were going to have to be taken. At that time, Dr. Burnham referred Matt to Ochsner Health in New Orleans for further assessment.
In the beginning of November 2022, Matt spent his first week at Ochsner’s under the care of the Heart Transplant Team. They began putting together a treatment plan that would allow Matt to undergo Heart Transplant Surgery. Because of this care Matt was able to spend Thanksgiving at home in Mobile with his family but had to return to Ochsner’s a few short days later, due to how his body was responding to the treatment.
Matt’s return to Ochsner Health started great, he was almost immediately accepted as a candidate for heart transplant and placed at the top of the list. After waiting a week, Matt developed an infection that ultimately eliminated his chances for a transplant at that time. He spent weeks continuing to decline until his team of doctors decided a new plan of action would be needed. That plan included placing him on a LVAD (Left Ventricular Assistance Devices, also commonly known as an artificial heart). He will be at Ochsner’s for 6 to 8 weeks recovering, then will return home to wait until he is eligible for heart a transplant once again.
Cathy, his mother, has not left Matt’s side throughout his stay at Ochsner and will continue to be with him until he returns home to Mobile. Once Matt returns home, the LVAD will require him to have 24-hour care. Matt’s family is of course stepping up to give him this much needed care. His parents moved in with him in October when he started to decline. They have and will continue to give their youngest son the support he needs. He will require around the clock care, numerous medications, weekly appointments to Ochsner and extended hospital stays. This will become difficult to maintain on their fixed income even with Matt’s medical insurance.
We hope that you will consider contributing to Matt. Any amount you find in your heart to donate will be greatly appreciated and will give his family peace of mind during this difficult time.
Please keep us in your prayers.
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