Michael Matters Foundation

mschostok

On July 16, 2012, my father Michael passed away from a Glioblastoma brain tumor at the young age of 51. Glioblastoma, one of the deadliest forms of cancer, has been in the news recently after Gord Downie (lead singer of The Tragically Hip) was diagnosed with it in May. After Ed recognized Gord on the first night of Wrigley, I feel compelled to speak about the Michael Matters Foundation and my father's story. Watching my dad go through the entire treatment process (chemotherapy, radiation, and other forms of treatment) from his diagnosis in April of 2011 to his death in July of 2012, my family quickly realized how expensive life became. The high cost of medicine is obvious. However, the driving to and from the hospital 4-5 days a week, the food, the bills, school, all started to add up. These are the things you don't think about when a family member or friend is battling cancer. Fortunately, we were lucky enough to have been financially stable during this difficult time. However, many people stricken by this terrible form of cancer (or any illness for that matter) cannot say the same. After my dad passed, my family, relatives, and our close friends decided to create an organization in my father's name. Not long after my dad passed, The Michael Matters Foundation was created. All of the funds go directly to Glioblastoma patients and their families struggling with transportation costs, food, rent, and of course, medical costs. The fund is primarily established at the Northshore Kellogg Cancer Center in Evanston, IL (the oncology center my dad was at). To this day, the foundation has helped many Glioblastoma patients make some sort of payment that otherwise would have been financially debilitating. Please, take a look at our website and read more about my father's story, my family, and especially Glioblastoma. If you could, please think about making a small donation now or in the future to help those who desperately need it. And hopefully down the road, the Band can maybe lend their amazing support, too. Thanks guys!

https://www.michaelmatters.org/

PJ_Soul

I feel awful that Americans are subjected to such a medical system - to me it is a profound human rights violation on the part of the American government and on the part of health insurance companies. This is a good cause, and way to promote it. No one should go bankrupt and end up destitute just because they or their loved one gets sick.

mschostok

PJ_Soul said:

I feel awful that Americans are subjected to such a medical system - to me it is a profound human rights violation on the part of the American government and on the part of health insurance companies. This is a good cause, and way to promote it. No one should go bankrupt and end up destitute just because they or their loved one gets sick.

Yes, it's terrible. Highway robbery. Thanks for the support!

mschostok

Christmas season bump!

mschostok

Hey everyone. As I said above in my initial post last year, my family has a 501(c)(3) organization called the Michael Matters Foundation. We founded the foundation after my father's death in July 2012 of a glioblastoma brain tumor (same one Gord Downie just passed away from). MMF provides financial resources for families that have a loved one suffering from brain cancer in the Chicagoland area. Instead of the funds going toward research, we like to provide money to assist families in every day matters, such as food, rent, heating/electric bills, parking, gas, etc. For those of you who have experienced the troubles of having a family member go through cancer treatment, you know how expensive not only the medicine can be, but the trips to and from the doctors office/hospital. These things can drain families finances to the point that they can barely afford to pay their bills. Every year, we hold an event called the "New Year, Same Wish" event in January/February at a place called Viper Alley in Lincolnshire, Illinois (40 minutes north of Chicago). At this event, we hold a silent auction, typically containing items such as signed Blackhawks/Cubs/Bears items, all inclusive vacations, Lollapalooza tickets, etc. SO....being the huge Pearl Jam fan that I am (and we all are), I'm asking any of you who has a signed item from the band you are willing to part with to consider donating it/selling it to us at a reasonable price so we can put it in the silent auction at this years New Year, Same Wish event. As much as I'd love items such as show posters, stickers, ticket stubs, etc., a signed item would generate the most money. After the year Pearl Jam had in Chicago with the Wrigley shows and Ed having a continuous presence in and around the City, there's no doubt any Pearl Jam signed item would be a huge hit and would garner a lot of money at the auction. I'll attach the links to the event and our website below so you know it's legitimate. Please PM or email me if you'd like to donate something signed. Thanks again everyone and I'll see some of you in Europe!


Mike Schostok
mschostok@kentlaw.iit.edu

Website
https://www.michaelmatters.org/

Interim and Accountability Report
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/594c09ede110eb77f35e98fb/t/5a03752271c10b1e516646ce/1510176054001/MMF_2017_Interim_Impact&Accountability_Report_FINAL+copy.pdf




P.S. for those of you in the Chicagoland area, you're more than welcome to come! Open bar, great food, great music, and of course bowling!