Matt's Story

Matt’s smile could change a person’s day.

Matt was diagnosed with stage four cancer in October 2023. Matt refused to be defined by his cancer and fought until the end. He never once complained and assured everyone around him that he was going to beat this terrible disease. He never missed a game. He never missed a family function. Matt continued to show up, even on his worst days.

It was mid-October when he came to me and said he felt something strange in his leg. He didn’t love going to the doctor, but I told him we could give it a few weeks, but if nothing changed, he should probably go in. I made him an appointment and they did a series of tests that led them to believe it was either a hematoma or cancer. It was October 31st that we got the phone call that changed our lives forever. It was cancer – highly metastatic pleomorphic sarcoma. We cried, we hugged and then we cried some more but refused to let this tear us apart. Over the course of ten months of fighting, Matt received radiation treatment, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. He endured so much but continued to smile and be there for everyone in typical Matty fashion.

Three weeks before he passed away, he came down the stairs and started to make his perfect pancakes for the kids. He told me he had an idea that he wanted to run by me. He said he wanted to start a foundation for he and Cortney Clark. He always had a love for building and crafting. He asked if I liked the name Stage Four Furniture and of course I loved it. He shared that he would love to start making custom furniture and for every piece sold, proceeds would go to a foundation in their honor. Matthew was never short of amazing ideas and was always thinking about others. While he was in the hospital, we started to make this dream come alive. He decided that he would like the slogan to be ‘crafting hope, one piece at a time.’ Each piece of furniture will be named after one their children. I can’t wait to make his dream become a reality by honoring the incredible man that he was.

​

-Brittany