Anneka & Matthew, 'Old Time Portrait' 1997
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Introduction
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About Our Son Matthew | ||
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Links to Ewing's Sarcoma Information | ||
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Links to Other Cancer Information | ||
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Alternative/Herbal Medicine | ||
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The Tait Family | ||
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Comments and Suggestions |
Reasons for home page
1. To tell the story of Matthew Tait and provide friends and family with updates on his current well being.
2. To pass on information that we have found useful in connection with the cancer Ewing's Sarcoma.
3. To make ourselves more accessable to people who find themselves in the same position as ourselves, fighting this dreadful disease.
Electronic mail
address
[email protected]
Matthew was born on July 11th 1987. He was a good baby, ate when he was meant to, slept when he was meant to etc. At least he did for his dad, it was a different story for his mum!
Anneka, his older sister, worshipped him, spent hours playing with him, you know the sort of stuff, poke in the eyes here, fingers in the mouth there! They were like twins really, only 13 months between them. Yes, we were rather quick off the mark after Anneka was born!
Matthew began playschool at three and a half years old, everyone loved him and he had many close friends with whom he created mega mischief!
At the age of four he began Primary School. He hated it! Didn't want to go anymore once he learned how to write his name! Around the same time he began to take an interest in karate. At the age of five he joined a karate club and took the sport very seriously indeed. By March '97 he and Anneka were both purple belts and the senior students in their club.
In November 1996, while we were living in Germany, Matthew had a bad fall from a climbing frame at school, from that point on he walked with a marked limp. We took him repeatedly to the doctors. They could find nothing wrong. From November to March '97 the pain became unbearable. We decided to by-pass the doctor altogether and take him to the hospital. X-rays confirmed there were no fractures, but showed abnormalities to the left iliac bone in his pelvis.
A bone scan was done the following week. We were told the next day it was a tumour. A biopsy was done the next morning, by lunch-time the diagnosis was confirmed - Ewing's Sarcoma. A big tumour that covered most of the pelvis front to back from his belly button to his spine. It had grown out of the iliac bone and wrapped itself all the way round his hip bone. This was on 11th April '97, Karen's Birthday!
On 22/04/97 a year of Chemotherapy treatment began, 14 courses, one every two to three weeks depending on blood counts - Ifosphamide, Vincristine, Doxorubicin and Actinomycin D, according to the EICESS 92 protocol.During this treatment he underwent three and a half weeks radiotherapy from the end of August until the beginning of October 97, he got through the radiotherapy ok but was badly burnt. The Chemo' finished on 2nd April '98.
Restaging scans took place on 22nd and 23rd April. On 6th May we were told that he had developed metastases in his left lung. More chemo' was planned with the possibility of stem cell rescue. This took place on 21st May using Carboplatin,Etoposide and Cyclophosphamide over three days.
After a repeat CT scan on his pelvis and chest on 25th May we were told that the chemo' had not worked, there were more tumours growing on both lungs and the tumour on his pelvis had increased 50%. Our Oncologist at the Middlesex Hospital in London, told us there was nothing more they could do.
Since that time we have travelled to Birmingham Children's Hospital to see a Dr.Bruce Morland for a second opinion. He refered us to Professor Ross Pinkerton at the Royal Marsden. He put Matthew on Etoposide 3x3 for two weeks, it was supposed to be three but Matthew was about to embark on a ten day holiday to Barretstown Gang Camp in Ireland,and we didn't want him to be neutropenic for that next week. He enjoyed his ten days there thoroughly.
Matthew will go for a clinical trial involving the drug Lyposomal Cisplatin as from 28th August '98. This is only a trial and there are no guarantee's. We are only buying time. Matthew is also taking a herbal medicine called ESSIAC, we don't know how effective this will be but what have we got to lose?!
Matthew has fought this demon disease with all his strength, when we have been feeling low, he has jollied us along, showing so much courage and determination to try and beat the cancer into submission. We are proud of him and cannot express our thoughts and feelings enough with mere words. He is our hero, our shining star, the light of our lives. While there is breath in our bodies we won't give up on him like the last oncologist did.
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Newspaper Article - 'Brave Words' from The Barnet Times, Thursday 10th September 1998.
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FIRST UPDATE on Matthew's treatment, 29th Sept. 1998. |
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SECOND UPDATE, 03rd Oct. 1998. |
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THIRD UPDATE, 21st Oct. 1998, and link to LATEST treatment information and updates. |
Newspaper Article - 'Lifeline for
Matthew' from The Mirror, Thursday 12th November 1998.
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Journal Newspaper On-Line article, 13th January 1999. |
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The Ewing's Sarcoma On-Line Support Group (Cancer) E-Mail list. |
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On-Line Support Group Members Profiles. Biographies and Photographs of List Members and their Families. |
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The story of Helena Moore aged 24 and her battle to defeat Ewing's Sarcoma when she was a child. |
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The Ewing's Sarcoma Support Group Resources Page. This site is maintained by Barry Sugarman, B.S.ENGR, In Honour of son Alon, and is an excellent and comprehensive source of information on Ewing's Sarcoma. |
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James Ewing 1866 - 1943 A link to Simon Cotterill's website which tells the story of the man whom the cancer Ewing's Sarcoma was named. |
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Ewing's Sarcoma/Primitive neuroectodermal tumour(PNET) PDQ - Information for patients.(NEW as of Nov'99) |
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Ewing's Sarcoma in children Factsheet.(NEW as of Jan'00) |
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Parent Information on Ewing's Sarcoma from The Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton. |
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Ewing's Sarcoma/Primitive neuroectodermal tumour(PNET) Oncolink - Patient Statement. |
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PDQ Clinical Trials pertaining to Ewing's Sarcoma/PNET. |
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CancerBacup's On-Line Information A good site with a wide range of info in 'Plain English' |
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Information for cancer patients and their relatives. Institute of Cancer Research, in association with the Royal Marsden. |
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Other Useful Links. Another page set up by us containing cancer links and Home pages dedicated to cancer and updated as we come across more information. |
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Essiac Information Page Links to Essiac sites. |
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RCS & Cancer Gone Alternative treatment and opinions on cancer. |
Photgraphs from PHOTOPOINT, various albums of the Tait family.
Karen and I met in April 1983 in a nightclub in Germany. She was on holiday at the time and I was there as part of my work. When she went back home to the UK, we kept in touch by letter.
By February '84 she'd conned me into thinking we should get married! We were married on August 25th 1984.
Anneka was born on June 20th '86, and Matthew came along 13 months later on 11th July 1987.
At present we live in Whetstone,North London.
Check
out:-Matty's own
Web Page 
Matthew's on-line memorial page
Please E-Mail us
telling us of new information you think we
should include, what you think about this page and how we
might improve it.
PLEASE REMEMBER, we are not Health Care Professionals, the information on this website is what we ourselves found useful. Any questions you may have should be discussed with your doctors and their healthcare team.
Maintained by Robert and Karen Tait.
First Created:- Saturday, 08 August 1998.
Last Updated:- Wednesday, 26 January 2000
