Matthew’s Hope 4 Miracles Family Support Fund
The Matthew’s Hope 4 Miracles Family Support Fund supports families who have a child with a cancer diagnosis and who may be experiencing financial hardship. The support through this fund could go towards an expense incurred by the family, such as travel expenses, utility bills, mortgage or rent payments, car payment, hotel stays for medical visits, and other related expenses. Applications can be completed by friends, family, or clergy on behalf of the family.
Awardees are selected on an objective and nondiscriminatory basis that includes a determination of need and the program must serve a charitable purpose. Grant awards do not benefit a Foundation employee or volunteer, the award selection committee, or the family members of either group. Donations are not accepted for the benefit of a pre-selected or specific individual or group of individuals.
Selection Criteria
Requirements
- Have a child under the age of 18 who has been diagnosed with cancer
- Have a demonstrated need due to economic issues related to the diagnosis
Preferences
The following criteria provide direction on how the applicant pool can be narrowed during the selection process. These criteria do NOT exclude potential applicants outright but demonstrate donor intent for preferred candidates. Preference will be shown to applying individuals who:
- Live in Lackawanna County OR Northeastern Pennsylvania
- Have had an economic disruption event, such as job loss
Applications are considered on a rolling basis.
* Applications can be submitted by family, friends, or clergy on behalf of the family in need. When creating the username on our application site, please enter the information of the person applying. For instance, if a friend is applying on behalf of a family, the friend would enter their information when creating the account. Information about the family in need will be entered on the application.
Want to learn more about the application process? Please click here to view a short video that will walk you through the application process.
About Matthew
Matthew McDonnell, an 11 year old sixth grade student, is wiser than his years and lives his life demonstrating inspirational faith, hope, and love, despite the many trials he’s endured.
In 2014, at the age of 3, Matthew was diagnosed with a rare form of Wilm’s tumor (kidney cancer). When the ER doctor uttered the word “cancer” Matthew’s life drastically changed. Suddenly, rather than going to preschool and play dates at the park, he was going to a hospital and undergoing painful, scary treatments every week.
Initially, the doctors were hopeful that Matthew had the “easily treated” type of cancer. After having 2/3 of his left kidney removed and undergoing seven months of traditional medical treatment, we thought he was at the finish line. Unfortunately his first scan post treatment indicated that he had relapsed. This began our ongoing search for a cure.
Matthew has endured 4 relapses to date requiring six major surgeries, rigorous rounds of chemotherapy, various forms of radiation, numerous integrative medical treatments, and an experimental trial in different phases of development.
One may think that all of this suffering would dampen a young child’s spirit. Remarkably, it seemed to strengthen Matthew’s resolve and began shining light on the depth of his love and concern for others. Throughout his life, Matthew has always been full of love and compassion. His positive outlook on life is rooted in his trust in God and he is an inspiration to many. Two of his favorite Scriptures are “…with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 and “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13.
Matthew’s current motto is “everything happens for a reason.” When he suffered his last relapse, he declared that “It happened for a reason and that we should be grateful for hard times because they make us stronger.” He continues to confidently declare, “I’m healed!” and he always thanks God for his many blessings.
Our family is expanding the reach of his fund to help other families going through this ordeal because we understand first hand how difficult it is. We understand the economic hardship that others may not. Some people erroneously may believe that everything is covered by insurance. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Although most medical treatments are covered, families still have deductibles, travel expenses, hotel expenses, and lost wages. We’ve even heard of parents losing their jobs while their child is undergoing treatment, which is invariably one of the most stressful times in their lives.
Our mission is to bless families with this sub-fund in order to provide financial assistance wherever it is needed most: i.e. travel expenses, hotel stays, groceries, utility bills, mortgage payments, etc. so that parents can focus on what is most important, which is the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of their precious child.
