A 5-year-old Iowa boy lost a battle with cancer last week, but he’s winning hearts around the world thanks to a memorable sendoff.
As he battled a rare form of cancer called alveolar fusion negative rhabdomyosarcoma, Garrett Michael Matthias, a.k.a. “The Great Garrett Underpants,” composed his own obituary that’s as poignant as it is funny. There are superheroes, gorilla jokes, Legos, shoutouts to friends and family, and, in the middle of it all, an honest look at fighting cancer through the eyes of a young patient.
Advertisement
Under “the things I love most,” Garrett stated: “Playing with my sister, my blue bunny, thrash metal, Legos, my daycare friends, Batman and when they put me to sleep before they access my port.”
For “things I hate,” he noted: “Pants!, dirty stupid cancer, when they access my port, needles and the monkey nose that smells like cherry farts…I do like the mint monkey nose like at Mayo Radiation and that one guy that helped me build Legos (Randy).”
Garrett’s parents, Emilie and Ryan, told the Des Moines Register that the obituary came from questions they asked him as he fought the disease that would ultimately claim his life.
Advertisement
“We really tried to use his words and the way that he talked,” Emilie told the newspaper. “Garrett was a very unique individual. What I really didn’t want was for his obituary to be ordinary and to have a really sad funeral. We’ve cried oceans of tears for the last nine months.”
Indeed, the funeral looks like it’ll be something else.
“Funerals are sad,” Garrett’s obituary stated. “I want 5 bouncy houses (because I’m 5), Batman and snow cones.” He also said he wanted to be “burned (like when Thor’s Mommy died) and made into a tree so I can live in it when I’m a gorilla.”
Yes, a gorilla. The reason? So he can “throw poo at Dad.”
A celebration of Garrett’s life will be held on Saturday, complete with a ”symbolic Asgardian burial ceremony and fireworks.” A private burial of his ashes “will be held at a later time once his parents figure out how the hell to get his ashes made into a tree and locate a nature preserve so his tree resides in a protected area.”
The obituary concluded with some parting words from The Great Garrett Underpants: “See ya later, suckas!”
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your contribution of as little as $2 will go a long way.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.