Matthew Pusch
“When you can feel a whole community get behind a person that they work hand in hand arm in arm with — that’s real community. That’s family,”
In August 2024, Matthew Pusch was hospitalized just before he and his wife, Melissa, planned to participate in a fentanyl awareness walk.
The couple are well-known and well-loved across their home community in Pensacola for their advocacy work following the loss of their son to fentanyl poisoning in 2016. Suddenly, the helpers became the ones in need of help.
Matthew lost 120 pounds and experienced 3 hernias, mobility loss and weakness, and insomnia. The future became brighter as 2026 began – but the gift of life came with a price tag:
“Matthew received the transplant on Feb. 2. The cost of his care totaled $1.8 million.”
That’s why Matthew and Melissa turned to Help Hope Live.
“They get the bills and they disperse it, so we don’t have to worry about that. Once the money is in there, we just show them what we need it for and they get it there. They’ve made things so much easier.”
