History
Matt's Promise was founded by my late husband, Matt Wiederkehr.
Matt and I were together nine years, married for five and in that short time we built a loving partnership. Matt was truly a family man -- devoted father, wonderful husband and partner, loving brother and son, loyal friend, and a committed and energetic employee of Google, Inc.
Matt never had any alarming or typical symptoms, so we were shocked when on December 8, 2003 he was officially diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. In November 2003, Matt went to his internist with what we thought was just a harsh and nagging seasonal cough. But after many rounds of antibiotics and a month of tests, we were handed the diagnosis that the painful cough was a symptom of several tumors in his lungs.
Matt was only 33 years old.
Matt lived life aggressively for the next nine months, spending time with family and friends and fighting as hard as he could to turn the corner and get healthy again. Matt's courage, positive demeanor and hopeful outlook never wavered, but during the course of his treatment he became deeply concerned with young people battling terminal illnesses and with the quality and nature of their care. This new awareness drove Matt to focus a great deal of his time and energy on creating a vehicle that would outlive him and would help other people who were suffering.
Matt's Promise is a foundation established to carry on his vision - indeed his promise - to make a positive and far-reaching difference in a world where too many young people are battling terminal illnesses.
I think that my husband's passion about the foundation in the face of the overwhelming battle that he was fighting is the best evidence of the kind of person that Matt was and I know that he would be proud of the progress we have made in advancing his vision in such a short period of time.
The Matt's Promise 'egg' logo is of special significance because it embraces Matt's spirit in several ways. The egg is symbolic of the circle of life and of rejuvenation. It represents growth and new beginnings but is also a shape that is timeless...and has no end.
Thank you for visiting the Matt's Promise website and thank you for your support in keeping Matt's memory and Matt's Promise alive.
Jennifer Wiederkehr
Officers
Randy Reiff
Jennifer Wiederkehr Rothberg
Advisory Board
Tim Armstrong
Lauren Wechsler Horn
Nancy Levy
Spencer Spinnell
Evan Wiederkehr
Lauren Wiesenthal
