Note from Doni: In honor of this Valentine’s Day, and the love it represents, we present this heart-wrenchingly tragic story followed by an opportunity to give whatever you can to this GoFundMe project to help the Romeyn family. A News Cafe has contributed. I hope you will, too.
Matt and Danica Romeyn were enthusiastically engaged Redding residents; active participants in such organizations as Catalyst-Redding Young Professionals and AAUW.
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For Matt Romeyn, every day was an adventure. Whether kayaking the open waters off the Florida coast or studying methods for growing food on the International Space Station, each day offered a new opportunity for discovery. No adventure was greater than the one he shared with his family, including his wife Danica, and their children, 6-year-old Everest, and 4-year-old Rhone.
Last August, their lives were forever changed when Matt’s adventure was cut tragically short after he was struck by a driver running a red light who killed him instantly.
In his 38 years, Matt lived a rich life. He was an astrobotanist for NASA and a decorated Marine veteran. He built a community around his passion for adventure with his family, in space, and in fishing, building beautiful custom fishing rods. Please help us keep his legacy alive by ensuring the health and safety of the family he worked so hard to love and support.
Matt’s death comes at a time when his family is already fighting for survival. Three years ago, Danica was diagnosed with a terminal illness called scleroderma, a chronic and rare autoimmune disease with no cure. The loss of Matt has devastated Everest and Rhone, who are both still so young. It’s no exaggeration to say we are fighting to protect them from suffering the loss of their mother, too.
While they are learning to navigate life without Matt, they need help. We are asking for donations to help support them through this difficult transition. Danica’s disease has left her unable to work, and she needs a costly bone marrow stem cell transplant to ease the progression of the illness. She is facing mounting bills and the loss of their income provider, and is working to ensure her children will have the resources they need in the years to come.
With the costs of chemotherapy infusions and upcoming hand surgery, Danica and her family will reach her new in-network maximum out-of-pocket insurance deductible of $13,800 within the first couple months of this year. They have been unable to find a hospital within the United States to perform a bone marrow stem cell transplant. Performed outside the United States, the cost of a bone marrow stem cell transplant (HSCT) begins at $54,500, plus the cost of travel and lodging for her family.
Please help us send the Romeyn family some love: we are hoping to raise a minimum of $50,000 to help with medical expenses to help her get the treatment she needs and continue to be there for the kids. #welovemattica
The organizers for this GoFundMe account to help the Romeyn family are Megan Conn of Redding, Kaitlin Gillespie of Seattle, Wash., and former Redding resident Danica Willis-Romeyn of Merritt Island, Florida. Any contribution is sincerely appreciated. No amount is too small.
Click here to contribute to the GoFundMe fundraiser for the Romeyn family.
