|
Dear
Fellow Law Enforcement Officers
and PBA members:
In November of 2010, I went to
the doctor’s office with a sinus
infection. I also noticed a
small bump on my neck, near my
right-side lymph node. Although
the sinus infection cleared up
with antibiotics, the bump was
still present. I went to an ear,
nose, and throat doctor on the
Wednesday before Thanksgiving to
have the bump tested. After the
holiday, I received a telephone
call telling me that the bump
was positive for cancer. This is
when my world turned upside
down; both emotionally and
physically. This is also when I
started an open-ended prayer to
God for the doctors, my wife, my
children, and for the strength
to get through this challenge.
My wife and I sat down with our
two children, aged 8 and 12, and
tried our best to explain what
the doctor had told me in the
telephone call. At this point,
all I knew was that the cancer
was caught early and that I was
going to be treated with
radiation. These treatments
would be for 8 to 10 weeks, 5
days a week. I had no idea what
to expect and how my body would
react to the radiation. I
weighed approximately 220 lbs.
at my first doctor’s visit.
I told my supervisors at work
about the news and they were
nothing but supportive from the
beginning. I was just counting
down the days until I started my
treatment. During this time,
Randy Byrd (President - Cary
Chapter of the North Carolina
Police Benevolent Association)
approached me and offered his
support and explained how the
Police Benevolent Foundation
could help. At the time, I just
wanted to be rid of the cancer
and wasn’t thinking about the
financial implications. What I
was about to find out was how
amazing a group of fellow law
enforcement officers could be
when a brother was in need.
The Police Benevolent Foundation
set up an account so that
donations could be taken for my
medical bills. Individuals were
allowed to make these donations
through Wachovia bank, online
with their credit card, and by
texting through their cell
phone. Without the Police
Benevolent Foundation I would
not have been able to pay all
the bills that would start
coming in.
At the beginning of December
2010, I had my first surgery to
remove my tonsils and a small
cancerous lump behind them. I
was told I had ‘Tonsil Cancer’
and that this had caused the
lymph node to swell.
After the Christmas holiday I
had surgery to insert a feeding
tube. According to the doctors,
I would get to a point where I
would be unable to eat, drink,
due to the radiation treatments.
I tried to eat everything I
could before the treatment
started because of the weight
loss that I would experience.
I started treatment at UNC
Cancer Center in Raleigh. These
weekly treatments became a way
of life for me. I was able to
work for a short time before I
started feeling the side effects
and had to be at home.
As the treatments continued I
was unable to eat, drink, or
talk due to the soreness and the
raw areas in my throat. I had to
rely on the formula to feed
myself through the feeding tube
that was inserted in my stomach
after Christmas. I was unable to
keep working and would remain
out of work for several months.
During this time, there were
several co-workers who showed up
at my house with food for my
family. They were truly a
blessing to us.
The Cary chapter continued to
raise additional funds by
partnering with the PBF and a
local car wash for a fundraiser.
Tony and Bunkey Morgan (owners
of Bunkey’s Car Wash) donated
their businesses and paid their
employees to assist with the
effort. Numerous PBA members
came out to support the cause at
two locations. My wife Donna and
my daughter Ashley went to one
of the locations because I
continued to be bed ridden. They
were treated like family by all
that were there. The funds that
were raised at the car wash
continued to help with my
mounting medical bills. At this
point I remember praying and
thinking, “Wow, this is how God
works miracles.”
As my treatments progressed it
became more difficult to get
through each one. I also wasn’t
able to take care of the upkeep
around our home. At this moment,
God stepped in again, and showed
me his kindness. I would be
lying in bed and I would hear a
lawn mower start up. It would be
a co-worker mowing my grass like
it was his own yard. This would
go on every week for several
weeks. On several occasions he
would bring other co-workers and
they would look like
professionals manicuring my
yard.
I finally reached the end of my
radiation treatments and the
doctors were ready to take out
my feeding tube. They only had
one condition. I had to put on
some weight. At this point I
weighed approximately 160 lbs. I
started to eat some regular food
and the doctor saw that I was
able to survive without the
formula that had gotten me to
this point.
I had now been out of work for
several months. I had exhausted
my sick and vacation leave. The
Cary chapter board, however, had
previously worked with Town
Council members to adopt a
‘Shared Leave’ policy for town
employees. Numerous employees
were able to help me at this
time by donating vacation time
for me to use. This provided a
paycheck for my family that I
wouldn’t have had otherwise.
On July 5, 2011, three months
after the feeding tube came out,
I returned to work at a weight
of 165lbs. The doctors had told
me that I would lose my sense of
taste during the treatments but
that it would return in time.
Some of my sense of taste has
returned and I continue to
slowly gain weight. The cancer
is gone, for now and for the
next five years I will go back
periodically to be tested.
Hopefully, the cancer will never
return.
In closing, I want to thank
everyone who stepped up to the
plate to help me in my time of
need. I am especially grateful
for the doctors who provided for
my medical needs and my wife
Donna who never left my side.
Thanks are also in order for
those amazing co-workers who cut
my yard and never wanted
anything but to see me well. I
have two amazing children and
they became my heroes during
this ordeal. I will always be
thankful for them and for being
so brave in an uncertain time
for their dad. I also want to
thank the PBA and the PBF for
supporting a member in need. It
truly meant the world to me.
Sincerely,
Matt Long
Cary Chapter
*Matt started
his law enforcement career with
the Washington DC Metro Police
Department and later worked for
the Mesa Arizona Police
Department before coming to the
Town of Cary as an officer in
2004. Matt is currently assigned
to a specialty team. In 2007, he
was recognized as the Crisis
Intervention Team Officer of the
Year for the Cary Police
Department by the National
Alliance on Mental Health-Wake
County Chapter. Matt is
originally from Maryland and has
an Associate degree in criminal
justice from Prince Georges
County Community College. He
currently resides with his wife
and children in Fuquay Varina. |