A Greeting Like No Other

At a recent oncologist visit Matt had to get his vitals checked as well as had to do a blood draw. After we received the results that Matt was low on platelets and red blood cells we headed over to the infusion center to get set up for the transfusions. We enter the infusion center in our normal fashion, Matt with his backpack full of school materials and things to keep him busy and I with a big bag full of snacks, medications and anything else we might need during our stay. We no sooner step in and are greeted with a big shout of SURPRISE! from the infusion center staff.

As you can see from the photo, the staff had all purchased a shirt from the Matt Strong All Day Long store and wore it to work that day. Matt happened to be wearing his AC/DC shirt that day so you can see he was totally taken off guard. It was awesome to see such support.

It goes without saying that the entire staff at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital has been so very supportive of Matt as he battles this cancer. It’s not just about the treatment of this disease, it’s also about the treatment and care of the patient. The staff knows very well his likes, dislikes and even little quirks he has. They know he likes a warm blanket when in bed getting treatment, they ask him how his weekend went, they all stop in to say hello and chat whenever he’s in clinic.

Matt considers them family. Rightfully so.