Back Story:
Lynn Streeter introduced us to an exceptional young man by the name of Matthew Ceelen. Matt's story began with a letter to our club requesting financial support for his Eagle Scout project of building two bat houses to be placed in the Mequon Nature Preserve. With the request approved, we heard what Paul Harvey used to call "The rest of the story".
Matthew was diagnosed with bone cancer just weeks shy of his 15th birthday. In medical terms it is a high grade sclerosing subtype of osteosarcoma. Approximately 450 children in North America are diagnosed with osteosarcoma each year. He is 1 of approximately 4 children who will be diagnosed with his subtype of osteosarcoma in 2017.
Update:
Matthew is celebrating his 16th birthday today. His birthday weekend started by watching the Badger Football team beat Western Kentucky. An early morning flight to Atlanta followed on Saturday. This trip was one thing Matthew had to look forward as he finished his freshman studies throughout the summer. The highlight of his trip was attending his first Boston Red Sox VICTORY over the Atlanta Braves with his parents and his friend Zach.
What a difference a year makes! He rang the bell on Aug 17 and celebrated the end of his treatment with all of you. He helped move Natalie to her dorm shortly before his school year started. The first week of his sophomore year ended with tests at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. There is no sign of cancer!