A month ago Matt Rose was living the dream.
He was in his 30s, had three beautiful children, and was married to the love of his life.
But in late July, he was told he had between two and five years to live after doctors found an aggressive tumor in his bowel that had spread to his liver and peritoneal cavity, the area between the organs.
The strong and healthy Australian father was left speechless after receiving the shock diagnosis of stage four colorectal cancer, having always done everything right.
The news came “out of the blue” for the 36-year-old, whose only inkling that something was wrong came in the form of unexpected stomach cramps he experienced in July, followed by blood in his stool.
“One Friday morning I noticed a bit of blood but I didn’t tell my wife Elle because I didn’t want to worry her,” Matt, from Wollongong, New South Wales, told FEMAIL and at first didn’t think it was anything serious.
‘At 3pm my stomach got worse and I saw a lot more blood, so I went to the emergency room.’
Doctors ran tests, a CT scan and inspected his abdomen, but Matt wasn’t worried and planned to stop at McDonald’s on the way home. Instead, nurses provided him with a bed for the night.
Matt Rose (pictured right with his wife Elle and their three children) was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in late July. The news came “out of the blue” as he experienced few symptoms.
“One Friday morning I noticed a bit of blood but I didn’t tell my wife Elle because I didn’t want to worry her,” Matt told FEMAIL and at first didn’t think it was anything serious.
The strong, healthy and fit Australian father of three from New South Wales received the shocking diagnosis of stage four colorectal cancer which completely changed his life.
“You don’t know how much a Friday afternoon can change,” he said.
The diagnosis came as a complete shock because Matt has no family history of the disease apart from his grandfather, who had prostate cancer.
At the hospital, Matt underwent a colonoscopy and endoscopy which detected a 12mm by 31mm tumor blocking his bowel.
A biopsy confirmed it was cancerous and scans detected secondary tumors in the liver.
Doctors revealed the devastating news that no one wants to hear.
“In my head I can’t believe it because I feel so good. It’s very strange to have that conversation with someone when I don’t feel sick at all,” he said.
“I feel so far away from that moment right now. I can’t even imagine it.”
At the hospital, Matt underwent a colonoscopy and endoscopy, which found a 12mm by 30mm tumour blocking his bowel. A biopsy confirmed it was cancerous and scans detected secondary tumours in his liver.
“In my mind I can’t believe it because I feel so good. It’s so weird to have that conversation with someone when I don’t feel sick at all,” she said (pictured on her wedding day).
Matt said his friends and family rushed to the hospital to support him and that he had “a crowd worthy of a Taylor Swift concert” around him.
On August 8, she suffered another blow when doctors found potentially more cancerous cells in other areas of her intestine, but doctors are investigating to confirm this.
Now it’s a race against time to treat the cancer and save his life.
Matt became emotional at the thought of leaving his loved ones behind, especially his wife Elle, 33, and his three children, Pippa, five, Archie, three, and Sadie, one.
“I want my kids to have the best future possible and I find it hard to think that I won’t be there to help them. That in itself is pretty overwhelming,” Matt said, holding back tears.
While some choose to write letters or journals ahead of time for their children to read when they are older, Matt has not yet had the emotional strength to do so.
“I want my kids to have the best future possible and I find it hard to think that I won’t be there to help them. That in itself is pretty overwhelming,” Matt said, holding back tears.
“I think in the future I will record wedding and 21st birthday messages for them. It will be nice for them to have a message from Dad at those times in their lives,” she said through tears.
Matt is still in shock from the tragic news, but he still feels good and remains as positive as possible.
Without wasting any time, he started chemotherapy within a week and will continue the biweekly treatment for three to four months.Doctors will monitor your progress through scans.
He has a quiet hope, but is trying to face the hard struggle for life that awaits him.
While the Australian government has reduced the eligible age for bowel cancer screening from 55 to 45 from 1 July 2024, Matt believes it should be changed to 35.
Matt is still in shock from the tragic news, but he still feels good and remains as positive as possible.
“If testing had been done earlier, maybe things would have been different for me; maybe they would have caught it earlier,” Matt said.
‘My perspective on life has changed a lot. It’s made me realise that you have to take time to enjoy the little moments.
“It has certainly brought my attention back to what is important. You never know when those precious moments will come back.”
Matt hopes his story will encourage young Australians to get checked and seek a second opinion if necessary.
Although some people may find it awkward to talk about bowel movements, Matt emphasized how it could save their lives.
“I think a lot of people are hesitant to talk about it because they’re embarrassed, but it’s very important,” she said.
For now, he’s appreciating the small moments with family and friends that are helping him get through this difficult time.
According to the Cancer Council, Common symptoms of bowel cancer include a change in bowel habits, a change in the appearance or consistency of stools, blood in the stool, anal or rectal pain, weight loss, unexplained fatigue, tiredness or anaemia and blood in the urine.
Australians can book a bowel cancer screening test through the Bowel Cancer Australia website or by visiting a local pharmacy.
You can find a link to Matt’s GoFundMe campaign above in the bullets.