Matney’s Story
Meet Matney
Taylor Swift has 13. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are 15 + 87. But for 15-year-old Matney from Marshfield, Mo., 18 is her lucky number. In fact, she celebrates an extra “birthday” on the 18th of every month, because February 18, 2025, is the day she received a totally new immune system through a bone marrow donation from her younger brother.
Matney’s mom, Ashley, first noticed something was off about her typically active teenager after a weekend at the lake in late summer of 2024. The next morning, Matney had woken up feeling nauseous and weak. She spent the whole day sleeping, with her faithful dogs refusing to leave her side.
The following day, Matney developed an unusual rash, and her sore throat worsened. Her dad, Brandon, took her to their pediatrician’s office in Springfield, Mo., and they ordered some bloodwork. The phone call that came next would change their lives.
“I was on a conference call for work, and my phone rang — it was the pediatrician herself,” Ashley recalled. “She said, ‘Ashley, Matney’s white blood cell count is 229,000. That is extremely high. Based on the results, it looks like she could have leukemia.’”
From one Mercy to another
The pediatrician directed them to go straight to Mercy Springfield Communities because they were the only hospital with a pediatric oncologist in the Springfield area. “By 11:30 p.m., Matney and I were being placed on the Children’s Mercy fixed wing plane and being flown from Springfield to Kansas City,” Ashley said. “And by 10:30 p.m. the next day, she had her first round of chemo, because that’s how quickly Children’s Mercy moved to find out what was wrong and how we were going to fix it.”
The pediatrician’s suspicions were correct: Matney had acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a type of blood cancer. While leukemia is the most common type of cancer in kids, AML is a more aggressive type that is typically seen in older kids.
Kevin Campbell, MD, is a hematology/oncology physician who was part of Matney’s care team at Children’s Mercy. He noted that genetic testing helped the team find the best course of treatment for Matney: “She had a specific mutation that required a more intense treatment plan. So she had several months of chemotherapy to prepare her body for a bone marrow transplant.”
Matney made herself at home on 4 Henson, a unit specifically for kids with cancer and other blood disorders that may require a bone marrow transplant. Once they got settled, “we decided we needed a glow-up in this room, so our family brought in things that would bring Matney joy,” Ashley shared.
Not one to sit still for long, Matney kept busy with crafting, games, TV shows like Gilmore Girls and Heartland, and of course, the much-loved Children’s Mercy Bingo games. She built incredible bonds with the nurses, care assistants and other patients — even making custom yarn pompoms as prizes to motivate other kids to do their physical therapy and other daily goals.
“There was a little girl there some of the same times as I was, so I’d go play with her and walk around the loop,” Matney recalled. And she knew where the slime supplies were hidden, so “sometimes we’d go in the playroom and make crafts or slime and make a big mess!” she grinned.
Ibrahim Ahmed, MD, MBBCh, was one of the physicians on Matney’s bone marrow transplant (BMT) team. He said stopping by her room was a highlight of his day because of all the ways she and her family worked to make the hospital experience less stressful and more home-like. Matney’s vibrant personality also gave Dr. Ahmed clues as to how she was feeling that day: “Matney is a great person. She can voice for herself what she wants. If she’s quiet or not interacting, I knew there was something wrong — better check!”
Brotherly love
While Matney and her family made the best of their experience as much as possible, it was still an incredibly difficult journey. Adding to the mix of emotions, they discovered that Matney’s younger brother, Maverick, was the best match for her bone marrow transplant. This meant bringing Maverick into the hospital to meet with his own personal care team, including a BMT physician, child life specialist and psychologist.
“A family member donor evaluation is done by a different provider than the patient’s provider to avoid any bias,” Dr. Ahmed explained. “We emphasize that [if they choose to be a donor], they’re giving the gift of life, and the outcome of the transplant is not their responsibility either way.”
The family took a team approach to discussing the possibility of Maverick being Matney’s donor. “Both our kids are very mature for their ages,” said Ashley. “We laid everything out for [Maverick], and he knew he always had a choice.” At just 11 years old, it was a lot for Maverick to process, and he was worried about whether donation would affect his ability to play football. (Good news — it didn’t!) “We felt reassured that whatever avenue we had to go down, we had a really good chance,” Ashley shared. “Having those 2 different BMT teams helped us make sure that each of our children were looked at as individuals and to make sure the right decision was made in the long run.”
Maverick and his team decided to go ahead with the donation of bone marrow, which involves a short procedure under anesthesia. Maverick was back at his big sister’s bedside by that evening. “Most kids who donate are feeling back to normal in a day or 2, and their bone marrow replenishes itself within a few weeks,” explained Dr. Campbell. Then, on transplant day, Matney received her brother’s healthy cells to build a new, cancer-free immune system.
Matney and Maverick now have an even closer bond. “It’s really special to me and means a lot to me that he’d do something like that for me,” she shared. “He didn’t have to, but in the end, he still did it.”
Lucky number 18
Matney’s transplant happened on February 18. 18 days later, her body began producing new stem cells from the healthy bone marrow, and on March 18, she was released from the hospital and ready to go home. Her 6-month follow-up tests looked great, and she is now back to normal sophomore year activities, like student council, learning to drive and taking care of her many pets.
After high school, she hopes to go to the University of Missouri and pursue a career in the medical field, possibly as a child life specialist who works with therapy dogs. “I love kids and animals, and you get to build a bond with kids and families and bring them joy at the same time,” Matney said.
Facility dog Dusty and her handler, Kim White, CCLS, were frequent visitors while Matney was in the hospital. “Dusty gave Matney a layer of support that no humans can provide — a safe space, unconditional love, and a special bond shared between the two of them that brought joy and motivation throughout her entire treatment,” Kim shared. “We were beside here during the tough moments and celebrated her in the end! It was an honor to walk alongside her and her family throughout her transplant journey.”
During Matney’s treatment, Ashley let her daughter's needs and wishes lead the way. Sometimes, this meant letting her eat whatever sounded appetizing, rolling with changes and advocating for her daughter’s needs as an active part of the care team.
Honoring Matney’s feelings and preferences helped Ashley get through the ups and downs. Letting go of the reins a little has “been very helpful to me in terms of letting my child have their emotions, find joy wherever they can and letting them still be a kid but also a person going through a major life change,” Ashley said.
Matney’s care team appreciated this active and involved approach. “Matney’s family was always part of the team and worked with us amazingly as parents,” said Dr. Ahmed. “Our team looks at the family as an extension of the care team and of our Children’s Mercy family. Over time, we get to return her back to the family and community.”
And Marshfield is thrilled to have her back.
In August, Children's Mercy and Mercy Springfield Communities announced plans for a closer working relationship. Matney and her family were part of the kickoff celebration! Find out more about this exciting new partnership.
You can also find out how to join the bone marrow donor registry for people who need a transplant but don’t have a family match like Matney did.