From the 1950s through the 1980s, people living or working at Camp Lejeune, a U.S. Marine Corps base in North Carolina, were potentially exposed to contaminated drinking water. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has acknowledged that industrial solvents from dry-cleaning waste and leaking underground fuel storage tanks were detected in the water on the base.

The contaminated water at Camp Lejeune has been linked to eight types of cancers, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Retired Marine Corporal Mat Wroblewski was diagnosed with the blood cancer in 2003. He had been based at Camp Lejeune in the late 1950s.

His widow, Nancy Wroblewski, said her husband wanted no part of suing the Marines or seeking benefits from the Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012. He simply wanted to get well, and he did just that after seeking treatment from Joeseph Tuscano at UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The treatment that Mat completed in 2004 kept his lymphoma in remission for 14 years. During that time, Mat retired, and his sons took over his company, Precision Contacts, Inc. (PCI) of El Dorado Hills, a manufacturer of semiconductor products.

Nancy said that in retirement her husband enjoyed playing pool and volunteering with El Dorado County’s Sheriff’s Team of Active Retirees, known as S.T.A.R. The trained volunteers enhance vital crime prevention services and community awareness.

Mat’s lymphoma eventually re-emerged, however, confirmed by testing in October 2018. He immediately underwent radiation therapy. Their hope for remission was dashed in May 2019 with the discovery that the cancer had spread to his brain. Mat passed away just two weeks later.

“I’ve seen and heard more complaints from people with a cold than I ever experienced or heard from Mat during any of his bouts with lymphoma,” Nancy said. “I hope Dr. Tuscano can experience many successes making others’ lives cured or at least comfortable — until the cure.”

Always the team player

“Mat has always been a determined person,” Nancy said. “Whether it was In the Marines or volunteering, when he joined a group, he was 'all in' 100%.

As part of a large community of cancer patients battling blood cancers, he was equally committed to finding a cure, and he knew that funding research was key to making progress, even if he were not around to benefit from that research.

Upon his imminent death, he and Nancy decided to contribute $125,000 to Tuscano's blood cancer research. She recently pledged another $200,000.

"After Mat's remission, he and Nancy became dedicated to supporting our research," said Tuscano. "They both were committed to helping to reduce the impact and suffering from this malignancy by supporting groundbreaking research that utilizes the body's natural defenses and immune system to fight the cancer in a relatively nontoxic way."

Nancy also is making plans to leave a gift in her estate.

"Life has really been good to us during our 57-year marriage, and I am so grateful for the care that Mat received from Dr. Tuscano and UC Davis," Nancy said. "Mat was very proud of being a Marine, never showing any anger or regret about his time at Camp Lejeune. His treatment allowed him to live another 14 years, and most importantly, he was able to do all the activities he enjoyed and be with his family."

Nancy said her job now is to make Mat's wishes a part of the race for a cure.