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The fight starts now! Help Mat defeat Melanoma

  • Long Overdue Update

      8 August 2023
    Posted by: Mathew Whelan
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    Hello all.

    Sorry it's been a while since my last update. Life has been pretty hectic with kids, moving to our new house and the usual work.

    Treatment has been continuing every 3 weeks and I just finished #15 today. My tests/scans have all been coming back clear. Or as my oncologist likes to say "Boring". Which is awesome!

    My nausea has settled down over the last couple of treatments which has been great too. Means I can function a little more after.

    This winter has been a little hard with family sickness and myself needing to take extra days off work to rest so your support has enabled me to do this without the stress of no sick leave. So a massive Thank You to all who have supported me.

    Only 2 more treatments to go until the end of my 1 year cycle so here is hoping my scans continue to be "Boring" 😁

    My love to all. Thank you again for your continued support XXX

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    • 09/08/2023 by Jeremy

      Great news Matt. Just a couple more overs into the wind and then you can take a break down at fine leg 🙂

    • 09/08/2023 by Andrea

      Hi Matt, thanks for the update. Glad to hear that tests/scans are at the "boring" stage, long may it continue. Love to you, Ana and the kids. xxxxx

  • Treatment Update 4, 5 & 6

      3 February 2023
    Posted by: Mathew Whelan
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    Sorry, been a bit slack with updates on my treatments.

    Its been the silly season with treatments in Auckland and Tauranga as we were up there for the Whelan Christmas this year.

    Since treatment #4 I have started getting side effects of Nausea, Headaches and Fatigue. Treatment #5 & #6 have been the worst. So basically have been not feeling well since 29th Dec. My team have given me Anti-Nausea meds but I don't think they work very well. The Oncologist rushed a CT scan on my head in case cancer had spread. The main issue was the headaches. Nausea could be anything. So now the CT is clear, he wants to monitor my next couple of treatments to see what else could be causing the sickness. So, not been a great start to the year :)

    Yesterday, I started at a new Physio to try and get my fitness back up and work on building the muscles which I have lost after the surgeries. They are a lovely team (Body in Motion) and already have me on a fitness regime, so let us see if I can stick to it.

    So all in all seems like I am the right path and hope to have more answers in the coming weeks regarding the side effects.

    Thank you all again

    Mathew

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  • Third Treatment

      17 November 2022
    Posted by: Mathew Whelan

    This week had my Third Treatment. Still no visible side effects so it's going great.

    Dad travelled up from Nelson for this one so could help out with the Family for the week. Was really nice having him with me on the day and also spending some quality time with the kids.

    Not much else to report on this front other than, I am doing great. I will be having my next scan after the 4th treatment so will know more after that.

    Thank you all for your ongoing support

    Lots of love - The Whelans

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  • Treatment Update #2

      30 October 2022
    Posted by: Mathew Whelan
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    Thank you all again for your overwhelming support. This week I had my 2nd treatment on Tuesday. Feeling pretty drained but don't know if it's from that or me fighting off a cold. Had a pretty busy long weekend up in AKL doing some site seeing with the kids. We went to the Zoo and up the Sky Tower. The kids loved it. But even though it was a great weekend, feeling pretty run down. So who knows.

    Oncologist said it could be 4-5 before I start getting side effects, or I might not get any. Everyone is different.

    Thank you all again

    Lots of love - The Whelans

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  • Great Big THANK YOU

      5 October 2022
    Posted by: Mathew Whelan
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    Thank you again to everyone who has supported me on this journey. We are so grateful for all the love and well wishes you have given us.

    Today I was lucky enough to start my first treatment of Keytruda at Canopy Cancer Care. It has all been down to you. So a massive thank you again.

    We still have a little way to go on the Give A Little page to cover all of the treatments, so any additional help would be greatly appreciated. So if you could re-share again to any other social media to get it out there to other friends and family.

    Lots of love from The Whelan's.

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  • Treatment starts tomorrow!!! 🥳

      4 October 2022

    After overwhelming support from all of you magnificent people, Mat is able to start treatment!

    He had an appointment with his oncologist today and is booked in to start tomorrow morning - which is amazing news!

    We wouldn't have been able to get there without all of the love and generosity from all of you, it has really been beautiful to see all the kind and thoughtful messages of support coming through.

    So here's to Mat, keep smashing it!! ❤❤

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  • THANK YOU!!!

      14 September 2022
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    Wow! We have been so overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and support from all of you. I had tried to reply to everyone individually but couldn't keep up, you guys are awesome!

    It really means the world to Mat and Ana and helps to take some of the financial strain and worry off them during this time. We are almost half way there, which means Mat may be able to start his treatment sooner than expected. Amazing! Let's keep sharing the page to try and get them all the way there. We will keep you updated on Mat's journey here and hopefully share all the good news along the way.

    From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, thank you, thank you ❤❤

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