MATTHEW BUMPUS
Matthew Bumpus (original inspiration for this site) was initially diagnosed with Acute Myleogenous Leukemia
(AML)in August 2006. The following is excerpts from a letter Matt has sent to some Congress & Senate
members in an attempt to get assistance. Hearing Matt's story in his own words is very powerful.
"My name is Matt Bumpus and I am 31 years old. I live in Roseville, CA with my wife and two sons. I had the
honor of serving my country in the US Army for 8 years and 9 months. I was a Staff Sergeant, Command
Section Sergeant and Stryker Vehicle Commander; and was in Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry
Regiment. I served in Iraq for a year and was primarily in heavy combat zones in and around Ballad and Al
Mosul. When I returned, my wife and I decided to go home to California and start setting down roots near our
extended family and continue growing our family.
In July of 2006, I was home, had a job with a bright future, we were expecting our second child, we had just
moved into a house, and life was good! At that time I was receiving a 10% disability for a wrist and shoulder
injury. I had included a claim for hearing loss suffered while enlisted, but it was denied and therefore not
included in the disability.
On July 31st I was rushed by ambulance to the hospital with acute appendicitis. The next thing I remember is
hearing that I had been diagnosed with the life threatening disease; Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML). I
was told that there was ‘chromosome damage due to radiation exposure.’ The following months of chemo,
drugs, increased ringing in my ears, and various procedures, were at times unbearable. This is an extremely
aggressive form of leukemia so the treatment is aggressive as well. But by the grace of God I went into
remission at the end of 2006. I returned to work and an almost normal life. I was alive, in remission, and very
thankful.
As I mentioned earlier, I returned from Iraq with a hearing loss. While going through the first treatment for
Leukemia, I also suffered increased hearing loss and a constant loud ringing in my ears. It is so loud at times
that it could be maddening. I included this as part of the AML claim in October 2006 since it was linked to the
treatment of the AML. The VA rejected the loss of hearing as part of the claim because they said that they
couldn’t ‘see enough physical damage’ but then sent me to a saleswoman for a hearing aid costing thousands
of dollars. She told me that not only would this help me hear, it would also help eliminate the ringing. At this
point I had been out of work for months, with a family to support, and my wife due to have our second son any
day, how could I pay thousands of dollars for a hearing aid that the VA said I didn’t really need?
Sadly, after almost 2 years of remission, I find myself battling a relapse of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia
(AML).
It has been medically established that AML can be caused by chemical exposures as well as radiation. Daily
job responsibilities throughout my time in the Army included training and operation of combat vehicles like
Bradleys and Strykers. When I served in Iraq, I guarded some chemical spills/sites and was exposed to
Depleted Uranium (from weapons use). In one specific incident, our company was called in to guard what
seemed to be an old sealed bunker. We were wearing our normal protective gear. It was very dark inside but
when we found ‘unknown’ chemicals, a Nuclear Biological Chemical Specialist was called in for testing. When
he recognized one of the chemicals he quickly left the site and returned in full protective gear. We immediately
put on our masks and worked our way out of the building. When the testing was done, a higher echelon of
testers was brought in, while we continued to guard at the door of the bunker. Based on the seriousness of the
results, we were told to leave the bunker and stay approximately a mile away.
My disability claim for AML was made in October of 2006 when I was hospitalized for an emergency
appendectomy. I had been through chemo, bone marrow biopsies, a lengthy hospital stay, and was recovering
at home. Unfortunately, the V.A. denied the connection or disability benefits for the illness. In my ‘rejection
letter’ from the VA, it states that “We denied your claim for pension benefits. The evidence of record fails to
demonstrate you are unable to secure or follow a substantial gainful occupation as a result of this disability.” It
also states “Service connection for Acute Myeloid Leukemia is denied.”
(See enclosure #1)
And now the chemo, antibiotics, and AML have taken the majority of my hearing, and made the ringing worse.
I can now only hear most people when they shout, and some people I can not hear at all. I can not hear doctors
or nurses when they are discussing treatment or asking questions. Someone else must be there to make sure
I get all of the information or summarize later. On a personal note, can you imagine not being able to hear your
18 month old son ask for a drink, or tell you he loves you? Would you protect your country if you knew you
might not be able to hear your 11 year old son talk about his newest interest or ask a question about his faith?
Currently I am waiting and praying for a lifesaving bone marrow match to be found. I will continue to have
chemotherapy once a month until then and will not be released to go back to work for at least one year, and
that is if a bone marrow match can be found. Another point to make is that if/when a match is found it costs
$1,000 dollars per potential match to complete the final screening. Currently insurance doesn’t cover it and I
am on a partial income while not working.
And there are others returning with this type of Leukemia as a well as other cancers. One such person was
Andy Rounds. He joined the Army right out of high school. Andy served with Army 1/62 (Tropic Lightening out
of Hawaii, Schofield Barracks) and he was stationed in Kirkuk, Iraq at a forward operating base. Two years
after his release from the Army, Andy was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. Andy died in
October of 2007 at age 22. His mother could not even get his funeral paid for. There is another man in
Alabama, Joshua Barber, who served as a civilian Trainer to Iraqi police, jailers, and prison guards at the
same location (Mosul) and he has recently been diagnosed with the same form of Leukemia.
And finally, one of the keys to the VA not taking responsibility for this is that it was not diagnosed within 12
months of separation of service. Research shows this disease, like other cancers, can take years to
manifest. An irony here is that there is a ‘Gulf War exam’ that is offered to any service member returning from
the Middle East I was not informed of it until after I was diagnosed.
In closing, I was willing to give my life for this country. I went to Iraq with the pride and conviction that I was
protecting my America, my beliefs, and my family. Now I am asking for the same support. I believe that I am
entitled to a full disability. I believe that the VA should take the obvious responsibility and do everything in its
power to save my life and the lives of others, and prevent this from happening in the future. Returning veterans
must be informed about the Gulf War Exam that they are entitled to. I risked my life to defend my country and I
would like to think that in return, this United States government would accept its responsibility and do the right
thing.
I appreciate your time and attention to this matter and I would like to thank you in advance for anything you
might do to help.
Sincerely,
Matthew Bumpus
Editor's Note: Matt died on the morning of August 3rd, 2008, after a valiant battle, surrounded by
family and friends.
We are encourage everyone to register with the Bone Marrow Registry (all it requires is a simple swab to the
cheek and a little paperwork) and to please tell everyone you know about the importance of the Gulf War Exam.
(AML)in August 2006. The following is excerpts from a letter Matt has sent to some Congress & Senate
members in an attempt to get assistance. Hearing Matt's story in his own words is very powerful.
"My name is Matt Bumpus and I am 31 years old. I live in Roseville, CA with my wife and two sons. I had the
honor of serving my country in the US Army for 8 years and 9 months. I was a Staff Sergeant, Command
Section Sergeant and Stryker Vehicle Commander; and was in Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry
Regiment. I served in Iraq for a year and was primarily in heavy combat zones in and around Ballad and Al
Mosul. When I returned, my wife and I decided to go home to California and start setting down roots near our
extended family and continue growing our family.
In July of 2006, I was home, had a job with a bright future, we were expecting our second child, we had just
moved into a house, and life was good! At that time I was receiving a 10% disability for a wrist and shoulder
injury. I had included a claim for hearing loss suffered while enlisted, but it was denied and therefore not
included in the disability.
On July 31st I was rushed by ambulance to the hospital with acute appendicitis. The next thing I remember is
hearing that I had been diagnosed with the life threatening disease; Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML). I
was told that there was ‘chromosome damage due to radiation exposure.’ The following months of chemo,
drugs, increased ringing in my ears, and various procedures, were at times unbearable. This is an extremely
aggressive form of leukemia so the treatment is aggressive as well. But by the grace of God I went into
remission at the end of 2006. I returned to work and an almost normal life. I was alive, in remission, and very
thankful.
As I mentioned earlier, I returned from Iraq with a hearing loss. While going through the first treatment for
Leukemia, I also suffered increased hearing loss and a constant loud ringing in my ears. It is so loud at times
that it could be maddening. I included this as part of the AML claim in October 2006 since it was linked to the
treatment of the AML. The VA rejected the loss of hearing as part of the claim because they said that they
couldn’t ‘see enough physical damage’ but then sent me to a saleswoman for a hearing aid costing thousands
of dollars. She told me that not only would this help me hear, it would also help eliminate the ringing. At this
point I had been out of work for months, with a family to support, and my wife due to have our second son any
day, how could I pay thousands of dollars for a hearing aid that the VA said I didn’t really need?
Sadly, after almost 2 years of remission, I find myself battling a relapse of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia
(AML).
It has been medically established that AML can be caused by chemical exposures as well as radiation. Daily
job responsibilities throughout my time in the Army included training and operation of combat vehicles like
Bradleys and Strykers. When I served in Iraq, I guarded some chemical spills/sites and was exposed to
Depleted Uranium (from weapons use). In one specific incident, our company was called in to guard what
seemed to be an old sealed bunker. We were wearing our normal protective gear. It was very dark inside but
when we found ‘unknown’ chemicals, a Nuclear Biological Chemical Specialist was called in for testing. When
he recognized one of the chemicals he quickly left the site and returned in full protective gear. We immediately
put on our masks and worked our way out of the building. When the testing was done, a higher echelon of
testers was brought in, while we continued to guard at the door of the bunker. Based on the seriousness of the
results, we were told to leave the bunker and stay approximately a mile away.
My disability claim for AML was made in October of 2006 when I was hospitalized for an emergency
appendectomy. I had been through chemo, bone marrow biopsies, a lengthy hospital stay, and was recovering
at home. Unfortunately, the V.A. denied the connection or disability benefits for the illness. In my ‘rejection
letter’ from the VA, it states that “We denied your claim for pension benefits. The evidence of record fails to
demonstrate you are unable to secure or follow a substantial gainful occupation as a result of this disability.” It
also states “Service connection for Acute Myeloid Leukemia is denied.”
(See enclosure #1)
And now the chemo, antibiotics, and AML have taken the majority of my hearing, and made the ringing worse.
I can now only hear most people when they shout, and some people I can not hear at all. I can not hear doctors
or nurses when they are discussing treatment or asking questions. Someone else must be there to make sure
I get all of the information or summarize later. On a personal note, can you imagine not being able to hear your
18 month old son ask for a drink, or tell you he loves you? Would you protect your country if you knew you
might not be able to hear your 11 year old son talk about his newest interest or ask a question about his faith?
Currently I am waiting and praying for a lifesaving bone marrow match to be found. I will continue to have
chemotherapy once a month until then and will not be released to go back to work for at least one year, and
that is if a bone marrow match can be found. Another point to make is that if/when a match is found it costs
$1,000 dollars per potential match to complete the final screening. Currently insurance doesn’t cover it and I
am on a partial income while not working.
And there are others returning with this type of Leukemia as a well as other cancers. One such person was
Andy Rounds. He joined the Army right out of high school. Andy served with Army 1/62 (Tropic Lightening out
of Hawaii, Schofield Barracks) and he was stationed in Kirkuk, Iraq at a forward operating base. Two years
after his release from the Army, Andy was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. Andy died in
October of 2007 at age 22. His mother could not even get his funeral paid for. There is another man in
Alabama, Joshua Barber, who served as a civilian Trainer to Iraqi police, jailers, and prison guards at the
same location (Mosul) and he has recently been diagnosed with the same form of Leukemia.
And finally, one of the keys to the VA not taking responsibility for this is that it was not diagnosed within 12
months of separation of service. Research shows this disease, like other cancers, can take years to
manifest. An irony here is that there is a ‘Gulf War exam’ that is offered to any service member returning from
the Middle East I was not informed of it until after I was diagnosed.
In closing, I was willing to give my life for this country. I went to Iraq with the pride and conviction that I was
protecting my America, my beliefs, and my family. Now I am asking for the same support. I believe that I am
entitled to a full disability. I believe that the VA should take the obvious responsibility and do everything in its
power to save my life and the lives of others, and prevent this from happening in the future. Returning veterans
must be informed about the Gulf War Exam that they are entitled to. I risked my life to defend my country and I
would like to think that in return, this United States government would accept its responsibility and do the right
thing.
I appreciate your time and attention to this matter and I would like to thank you in advance for anything you
might do to help.
Sincerely,
Matthew Bumpus
Editor's Note: Matt died on the morning of August 3rd, 2008, after a valiant battle, surrounded by
family and friends.
We are encourage everyone to register with the Bone Marrow Registry (all it requires is a simple swab to the
cheek and a little paperwork) and to please tell everyone you know about the importance of the Gulf War Exam.
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| After a valiant battle with his Leukemia, Matt died on Sunday morning, August 3rd, 2008 at Sutter Roseville Hospital in California, surrounded by family and friends. Memorial donations can be sent to Lisa Bumpus at 1000 Sunrise Avenue, Suite 9B, Box 411, Roseville, CA 95661. |