Matthew was employed as a New York City policeman until his retirement as a lieutenant in 1983. Select a place on the map to place the pin. “I’d agree with him. It should only take 10 minutes, Join the Healthcare Professionals Network to read more pieces like this. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. He was a 21-year-old student at Oxford University and so engaging, intellectually curious and interested in everything. Choose an adventure below and discover your next favorite movie or TV show. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Looking for something to watch? GREAT NEWS! ). Matt wouldn’t recognise himself as particularly brave or as a hero; he would tell you that he didn’t have a lot of choice other than to just get on with it. Oops, something didn't work. He spent 17 weeks in bed undergoing various therapies to try to reduce his cancer. We hit it off straight away. Oops, we were unable to send the email. Please note: You are asking volunteers to find and take a photo of the headstone. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. If you have questions, please contact support@findagrave.com. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? We talked about our encounters with Matt and developed a lasting friendship. If a new volunteer signs up in your requested photo location, they may see your existing request and take the photo. If you would like to contribute to our Blood, sweat and tears series about experiences in healthcare, read our guidelines and get in touch by emailing sarah.johnson@theguardian.com. Make sure that the file is a photo. John saw the need in me as well as in himself to do something out of the ordinary for Matt. For John, Matt was one of those patients who really left a lasting bond with him – even beyond death. Join the Healthcare Professionals Network. Happily, the surgery did achieve what we’d hoped for – but sadly not for as long as we’d wished. He died on August 21, 2003 following a lengthy battle with stomach cancer. Please take our survey and tell us about your job. His father was an Italian-American police lieutenant. The way he handled himself was remarkable. If you truly want to engage with someone there has to be an element of exchange and giving of yourself. Did we cross professional boundaries here? For Edits select Suggest Edits on the memorial page. God Bless and Keep you, Matty. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Matty Ferrigno was born on May 25, 1925 in New York City, New York, USA. We’ve updated the security on the site. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. I knew that it was going to hurt when Matt died. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. In our line of work we face death on a regular basis. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Matthew P. “Matty” Ferrigno I found on Findagrave.com. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. John and I chose to remember and honour him by climbing the mountain he had identified on his post-surgery bucket list. This was his biggest claim to fame. Also an additional volunteer within fifty miles. Our lives were enriched by meeting Matt. Favorite film about an unconventional sport? My colleague John Speakman, a palliative care consultant, was also hurting. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional, No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. We each have our own ways of dealing with the distress and suffering that comes our way. But this was somehow different. Failed to delete memorial. Ferrigno was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1951 and as a child suffered from an ear infection that resulted in permanent partial hearing loss. We have set your language to But sometimes someone extraordinary comes along in extraordinary circumstances, and those usual ways of coping don’t quite cut it. Family members linked to this person will appear here. I can feel like a sponge absorbing other’s pain. The greatest honour Matt could bestow on you was to call you his friend. We would be helping them in their grief as well as dealing with ours. Year should not be greater than current year. Do you work for the NHS? What Were You Watching During the N.Y.C. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? To add a flower, click the “Leave a Flower” button. It felt uplifting in every sense. He died on August 21, 2003 following a lengthy battle with stomach cancer. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Check out our picks for family friendly movies movies that transcend all ages. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Please try again later. It might have been August, but it was miserable, wet and windy on Snowdon. Try again later. × Failed to remove flower. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? And follow us on Twitter (@GdnHealthcare) to keep up with the latest healthcare news and views, If you’re looking for a healthcare job or need to recruit staff, visit Guardian Jobs, A boy with leukaemia visited my lab – I had no idea what it would start, 'I deserve more than to be thought of as crazy': a journey through mental illness, ‘I chose to remember Matt by climbing the mountain he had identified would be part of his bucket list – Snowdon.’. Thanks for your help! Please contact Find a Grave at support@findagrave.com if you need help resetting your password. We all hoped it might give him improved pain control and restore some degree of independence. Drag images here or select from your computer for Matthew P. “Matty” Ferrigno memorial. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. Try again. We have 2 volunteers within fifty miles of your requested photo location. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. We have 2 volunteers within ten miles of your requested photo location. Matty Ferrigno was the father of Lou Ferrigno, one of the bodybuilding greats of the 70's. I don’t think we did. To suggest a correction or addition, visit the memorial page and click Suggest Edits. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. GREAT NEWS! 1977 Blackout. He made a point of letting John and I know that that was how he saw us. Sorry! Tracy, our head of bereavement, joined us in support because she recognised the significance of this event for us both. Lou was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Victoria and Matty Ferrigno. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 20 photos to this memorial. Your password must be at least 8 characters, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. To suggest a change to a cemetery page, visit the Cemetery Corrections forum. Stepanek, was an American poet (or, as he wanted to be remembered, "a poet, a peacemaker, and a philosopher who played") who published seven best-selling books of poetry and peace essays. We have a volunteer within ten miles of your requested photo location. Failed to report flower. Please enter location or other information that may help the volunteer in fulfilling this request. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. The word “compassion” means “suffering with”. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. I mourn his untimely death yet celebrate his accomplishments in life at the same time. I need to keep a close eye on it, because there is a limit to how much the sponge can absorb.