‘Enfant Soleil’ Matthew Gibson
Everyone has a story to tell. On Friday afternoon, there were probably a few hundred shoppers that passed through the Walmart in Cowansville. On their way through the door they may have seen a young man holding out a container, asking for donations. That was Matthew Gibson. He had the day off school from Massey-vanier High School, so he decided to volunteer to gather donations at an Opération Enfant Soleil fundraiser.
Matthew has been an ambassador for the non-profit organization ever since 2015 when he was chosen to be the official Enfant Soleil representative for the Monteregie region.
Even though he completed his year, Matthew has remained involved with Enfant Soleil and its umbrella group, the Children’s Miracle Network, to share his story of determination with peers and encourage support for the foundation, which raises money for pediatric care.
When he was around 12-years-old, Matthew didn’t feel well. He had chronic stomach pain and was often tired and lethargic.
At first, his family doctor couldn’t pinpoint any visible symptoms, but upon further testing, Matthew received a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease.
“The best way I could illustrate it is you know when you have a cancer sore?” Matthew said. “You can tolerate it, but it’s annoying,” he said, pointing out that there is a sharp reminder it’s there every time you eat.
“I had about 20 centimetres of cancer sores in my intestines,” he explained.
While Chrohn’s can be managed with medication, Matthew’s doctor recommended that he avoid aggressive treatment with hard drugs that had major side effects.
The alternative was several three to four month stints over a four-year period where Matthew couldn’t eat at all. He had to endure a liquid diet through a feeding tube.
“It was to kind of give my intestines a break,” he said. “It was like a big protein shake, but it didn’t taste good at all.”
Thanks to a machine provided by Enfant Soleil, Matthew was able to use the feeding tube at home rather than be hospitalized. He was fed up to 3,000 calories per night, he said, and also had to do feedings during the day.
Matthew said he used to binge watch Storage Wars, his favourite show at the time, while being fed.
At 12-years-old, Matthew said he weighed around 60 lbs.
Now 17, he is around 135lbs, and close to six feet tall.
His 20 centimetres of excruciating intestinal pain is down to four centimetres, making Matthew the patient with the best results from the treatment regiment, according to his doctors.
Matthew credits his recovery to a positive attitude and a strong family support network.
“I didn’t get discouraged,” Matthew said. Because his parents noticed he had a competitive spirit, they told him, “This is just a challenge in life that you need to go through.”
“I know there are many people worse off than me,” Matthew said, which is the reason he stays involved with Enfant Soleil and the Children’s Miracle Network, to pay his positive attitude forward.
Matthew recently had the opportunity to travel to Ottawa as one of the Quebec representatives for the Children’s Miracle Network.
He had the chance to meet with other families from the network with children battling sickness and exchange stories.
“I met one little kid from Newfoundland with a feeding tube,” Matthew said. Not wanting him to feel discouraged, Matthew told him, “Hey, I went through that for four years, but look at me now.”
As an ambassador for the non-profit organization, Matthew also got to meet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, play twister with super heroes, skate with some pro hockey players, and even hang out with Miss America and Miss Teen U.S.A. during a recent trip to Orlando.
“I’m really grateful,” Matthew said, for the recovery he has had thanks to the support he received from Enfant Soleil.
“They definitely have an impact on families,” he said.
Matthew finishes high school this year, and then intends to study pure and applied sciences at Cégep de Granby next year.
While he has no set schedule, he said he will continue, whenever possible, to volunteer his time to share his story and encourage kids to stay strong and positive in the face of adversity, and continue to help fundraise for Enfant Soleil to help the organization that helped him.