Diagnosis & Treatment

CANCER TYPE
Testicular Cancer
AGE DIAGNOSED
24
Medical Center
Cleveland Clinic - Cleveland OH
Surgeon
Dr Stevenson - Cleveland Clinic, OH
Oncologist
Dr. Gilligan - Cleveland Clinic Main Campus, OH
Clinical Trials
Medical Treatment
Chemotherapy
Surgery
Details of Treatment
5 rounds (roughly 3 months) of chemo, 5 surgeries, 40+ days in the ICU and many more complications
Medication During Treatment
BEP (Bleomycin, Etoposide, platinum/Cisplatin)
Alternative Therapies During Treatment
Meditation
Supplements
Exercise
WHAT CANCER TAUGHT ME
Cancer brought me closer to my faith, my now wife and family, and gave me a much greater path and purpose to help others.
Supplements
Magnesium, Vitamin D, Fish Oil, Vitamin C
WHAt helped me during treatment
Favorite Quote
It’s an acronym: - H.O.P.E: Help One Person Everyday.
Advice for Others
One step on day at a time… don’t be afraid to be open about your feelings to people you trust and don’t get overwhelmed with the process. Just focus on how you can make progress towards healing today.

My Story

At the age of 24, doctors discovered an 11-centimeter tumor in my small intestine diagnosing me with Stage 3 Testicular Cancer. I had gone to the ER after back pain and vomiting blood.

After chemotherapy and a very complicated surgery to remove the remaining cancer from his my body, I encountered various complications. I was under the watch and care of the ICU for over 40 days and in the Cleveland Clinic for 53 days where I met with a number of near-death experiences including 5 major surgeries causing a large open wound on my stomach. For two weeks, I was in a non-responsive coma, met with complete kidney and liver failure, and went into cardiac arrest where nurses performed 8 minutes of CPR to bring me back to life.

Doctors didn't know if and when I would awake, informing my family and girlfriend I would likely be on dialysis the rest of my life, and have to relearn everyday tasks like eating and walking again.

Prior to the diagnosis and subsequent treatment, I was a healthy personal trainer weighing 185 lb. But this disease wreaked havoc on my body and in a matter of 8 months I dwindled down to a mere 110 lbs.

After hard work and years of deep internal discovery, I am as vibrant, enthusiastic, and energetic as ever helping individuals transform their mind, body and spirt, as a transformation coach and Keynote Inspirational Speaker.

Read more about Matt's journey, his podcasts, and his motivational-inspirational talks at mattodespeaks.com

Visit mattodespeaks.com

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