Final Post

This will be our final post on this blog. Thanks to all who have supported us through Matt's illness and death with your prayers, thoughts, actions and kind words. Noel and I can never adequately express what all of your support has meant to us. If you need to reach us, our e-mail addresses are:
John: jtbertucci@cox.net
Noel: ncbertucci@cox.net

As a final tribute to Matt, here is the text of the eulogies that Noel and I read at Matt's service.

We love you all.

John and Noel

Noel's

Those of you, who know me, know that I probably won’t get through this without crying. But, that is OK because, “No Cry Wednesday” has officially been canceled for this week. I would like to thank the many people who have helped us, prayed for us, supported us, cooked for us and been there for us this past year. Your support has meant a lot to our family. Some would say, “I didn’t do that much.” But let me tell you, everything you have done has had an impact on our journey this past year. Though Matthew has gone, our memories of him will remain. Thank you once again for having been there for our family.

John's

My son, Matthew, was born on March 1, 1990 and almost from his first moments of life, he was a sports fan. I think it might have been that toy football I put in his hands the day he was born. He played football, baseball and basketball on the playground level but unfortunately inherited my athletic abilities which are severely lacking.

Not many people know this but Matt actually called the Buddy D radio show to discuss the NCAA Final Four when he was only 9 years old.

Matt loved all sports but as many of you know, his passion was for the Saints. He watched all the games (even when they were bad), studied the stats and knew all of the players. He really enjoyed going to the games with his grandfather, mother and me. It was a real treat for me to be there watching with him when the Saints finally won the superbowl this year.

And those visits from Drew Brees, well that thrilled him beyond belief. Both the Saints and Matt faced their share of adversity this year and they both broke through and achieved ultimate victory in their own ways.

Speaking of adversity, someone once said that adversity doesn't build character, it reveals it. I know that this is true in Matt’s case.

During the past year Matt has endured much adversity. Starting with a mysterious illness that stole most of his senior year of high school from him. Progressing to a diagnosis of brain cancer. Enduring the rigors of 18 weeks of chemotherapy and several major surgeries.

The list of Matt’s illnesses and conditions could go on forever. Some of the treatments and tests were very painful and uncomfortable. The prospects for full recovery, at least in the natural, were always in doubt.

Yet throughout his long ordeal, Matt never once lapsed into self pity. Never once took on a “woe is me” attitude. Never once questioned why God was allowing this to happen to him. Never once complained. In fact, he was always looking to encourage those around him. Whether it was his mom or me or a visitor or one of the doctors or nurses, Matt was usually ready with his patented thumbs up.

Many of you received birthday wishes written on his white board which for a long while was his only method of communication. In the midst of all of this, Matt came up with this saying: I know that God has my back. Well, God still has his back.

I am so proud to call him my son and my friend.

Now please allow me to address a question that may be on some of your minds. It probably takes one of many forms but ultimately comes down to this:

Why didn’t God heal Matt?

I know that a lot of you have prayed fervently for Matt to be healed. Noel and I are concerned that his death might have some effect on your faith. We don’t want this to happen. You have to know that we still believe that God’s plan is good.

I am not a theologian or a preacher or any of those things. I am just a dad struggling with the death of my son. We as Christians believe that God heals us of our sicknesses and that He has a good plan for our lives. But the fact is that He doesn’t always heal everyone and bad things do happen to good people and it is natural that we want to know why.

I won’t pretend that what I am about to tell you is a definitive answer but I ask you to think and pray about it because it has given Noel and I great comfort.

First of all, the Bible says in Isaiah 55:8:

My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”

So we can’t really apply human reasoning to God’s thoughts and plans.

Secondly, there is truly a battle between good and evil that is being waged on a daily basis. We all see it every day in the paper and on the news and we all experience it in our daily lives. When we become Christians, we enlist in God’s army and volunteer to fight on the side of good. Matt enlisted several years ago and was a dedicated and committed Christian.

In every battle, the general has to send soldiers into the fight. Some will come out unscathed, some will be wounded and some will die. The individual soldiers may or may not understand the battle plan. They may not know the reasons they are being asked to do a particular thing. But this is irrelevant, their job is to follow the orders of their commander.

I’m not saying that God gave Matt cancer or caused his heart to stop beating last Tuesday. We live in a fallen world where bad things happen. I am saying that God can use difficult circumstances to accomplish His work. I can tell you that we have been inundated with stories about the impact that Matt has had on people all over. Matt’s life has had a positive impact on so many people it is hard to believe.

So just because we can’t understand God’s plan or purpose doesn’t mean it is not good. And just because God’s plan or actions don’t make sense to our finite human minds doesn’t mean that they are not righteous. And just because God doesn’t answer our prayers exactly like we ask them doesn’t mean he doesn’t hear us or respond to our prayers.

Now, lets turn this situation around and look at it from Matt’s perspective. Matt is in Heaven now. He has won the lottery. He has won the superbowl. Think of the best thing you could possibly imagine getting. Now multiply it times infinity. That’s what Matt has right now. My guess is that if he were given the chance to come back, he would say no. Yes we will miss him terribly, yes there will be a hole in our hearts that will never be filled but we need to be happy for him.

In summary, please don’t let what has happened to Matt shake your faith or make you question God’s goodness. True faith ultimately comes down to a “thy will be done” moment like Jesus had before he gave his life for us. Pray that He will lead you into acceptance and a closer walk with him.

We will never forget Matt but if we truly want to honor him, we need to maintain our faith, keep praying and believing and press on in following God’s plan for our lives. I know that is what Matt would want each and every one of us to do.

Matt's Obituary

Here is a link to Matt's obituary:

http://obits.nola.com/obituaries/nola/obituary.aspx?n=matthew-john-bertucci&pid=141049420

Matt's Funreal

For those of you who want to, we think Matt would be honored if you want to wear a Saints jersey or tee shirt to the services. Please do not feel obligated to do this if you do not already have something or if you would feel more comfortable wearing something else.

Sunday

If you need our address to donate to Children's Hospital here it is:

4205 Beuaune Dr
Kenner, La. 70065