My name is Matthew Charles Kane and I am 30 years old. I currently work at Parkwest hospital as a Certified Surgical First Assistant. This is my 9th year at Parkwest and I love working in surgery. For the last 5 years I have been going to school full time pursuing a degree in Chemistry. I graduate in May and plan to attend medical school in the future with a goal of becoming an orthopedic surgeon.
I grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee in a great family. My parents are Michael and Vickie Kane, I have 2 older brothers, Jason and Adam, 2 younger sisters, Bethany and Anna, and 2 younger brothers, Nathan and Andrew. When I was 19 my dad took a job with Ron Hutchcraft Ministries in Harrison, Arkansas and most of the family followed. I stayed in Knoxville but maintain a close relationship with my family. I have 3 nieces and two nephews, Aubrey, Sydney, Aniyah, Brennan, and Nolan. I have also been lucky enough to have a best friend (Jared) I have known my whole life that is as close as a brother to me, and his family is a second family to me.
My community has grown tremendously in the last ten years as I have met many new friends and worked with great people who have become friends and mentors to me. I have gotten to know many techs, nurses, CRNAs, perfusionists, sales reps, surgeons, and anesthesiologists who have all had a tremendous impact on my development as a person and have encouraged me throughout my journey towards becoming a physician. Getting to know people from all different walks of life has also given me the opportunity to discuss and understand different perspectives on faith and to share what I believe with both believers and nonbelievers.
Working at the hospital also provided me with the chance to go on several medical mission trips to Guatemala and Haiti which has cultivated my love for reaching people in need. My ultimate goal after medical school and many years of working as a surgeon is to be able to travel to places where people are not reached and help to heal them both physically and spiritually.
A struggle that I have had has been waiting on God’s timing. I was a little late to the game in returning to college and working towards a Bachelor’s degree at 30 years old, however I felt that I had a great resume and expected to be heading off to medical school this year. I got a rude awakening when I did not even get an interview in my first attempt. At first I was confused, but after speaking with many people who did not get in on their first attempt, as well family and friends who knew me well, it became clear that God had something else in mind for me this year. With a heart for service, I decided to look into mission work that I could do throughout the year. That is when my parent recommended that I look up the World Race. I instantly was intrigued and could feel God pulling me towards this opportunity. As I spoke with people I found some friends who knew people who had done the World Race and they set up a meeting for me. I went home that night and filled out my application.
I have always felt called to foreign missions, especially to places that are unreached, or difficult to reach. The World Race Expedition route stood out to me as an opportunity to serve those in need and to meet them where they are. I look forward to discovering what God has in store for me, my team, and those we go to serve throughout this year.
