My name is Matthew Cubbler. I was born and raised in Pottstown, PA. I have been married to the love of my life, Lauren for nearly 11 years and we have two beautiful children, Rebecca who is 10 years old and Andrew who is 5 years old.

I am currently 36 years old, but I will be 37 years old when I begin this crazy run! I am a disabled U.S. Army veteran and a Persian Gulf War veteran. I didn’t become disabled in the military as a result of some crazy war injury, I just happened to be diagnosed with a joint disease while in the military. My joints, when injured, create scar tissue and calcium deposits at an elevated rate. This causes severe pain and the joints loose their mobility. All in all though, I am healthy and able to do most of the sports and work related activities that I enjoy.

I have been employed in law enforcement for 15 years. After my stint in the U.S. Army, I became a police officer. I have worked previously in Royersford, PA and in the Pottstown, PA area. I currently work in the Borough of Collegeville, PA. However, I took a 4 year hiatus from local law enforcement shortly after “9/11”. In May, 2002 I was hired as a Special Agent with the newly formed U.S. Federal Air Marshal Service, created to protect United States commercial air lines from terrorist attacks. I was based out of the Philadelphia Field Office and flew mostly out of the Philadelphia International Airport. After 4 years and over 4,000 flights, I realized that I was neglecting my life at home. My family needed me at home more than my country needed me protecting the skies. I took a position with the Collegeville PD and I am enjoying every second I am on the ground!

While working for the U.S. Federal Air Marshal Service, I found myself at a cross-road emotionally. I lost my older brother, Andy in a violent car accident in 1989. I never really “dealt” with that loss. I locked that part of me away for 17 years, hoping that it would just go away. However, in September of 2002, my son was born and I named him after my brother, Andrew. I was unaware at the time that this would be the impetuous that would force me to finally come to terms with my brother’s death. Shortly after my son was born, I felt the need to get some things off my chest. I decided that writing my thoughts down might help my soul to heal. I ended up behind a computer screen one night and when I finally got up; I had written 20,000 words full of memories of my life with my brother. This in turn led me to take on the biggest challenge of my life – writing a book! “A Brother’s Love: A Memoir” was born on that day and was made a reality in February, 2006. That is also when Andy’s memorial scholarship funds were born as well. All the proceeds from the sale of the book are donated to the two scholarship funds.

Unfortunately, self-publishing a book means that not only did I have to pay someone to turn my typed pages into a real life book, but it also means that I was my own agent, marketing guru, publicist and financier! As you can probably assume, I am not independently wealthy. So, I had to be creative. The book sold well its first year in print and I was able to donate enough money to make an impact on several young deserving kids’ lives. The second year of the book proved to be more of a challenge. As it turned out, my book was well read and highly acclaimed, but it was not highly purchased. It ended up being one of those books that people “passed on” to someone they knew. I was happy to know that Andy’s story was being read, but at the same time, his scholarship funds were not being funded. That is where I got the crazy idea to run across the state of New Jersey in 3 days!

I like to describe myself to others in the following manner: I am a good, honest and caring man with big dreams, big ideas and shallow pockets. I want to do so many things to make the world I live in a better place. I want to be a good role model for my children and I want to help as many people as I possibly can. I am a realist though and I know that my ability to financially help others is limited. However, my big dreams and big ideas should not go to waste. I can organize others to help. I can create an atmosphere that inspires others to do their part to make this world we live in a better, safer and happier place to live. Thank you for visiting my website and I hope you can find it in your heart to donate to our worthwhile cause.