If there's one thing Arey talks about more than fishing, it's his family. His wife Emily and their two daughters have become his greatest source of strength throughout every doctor's visit and every treatment.
Story Walker Smith / Photos - Dynamic Sponsorships
"My wife has not missed a single treatment or doctor's appointment," Arey said. "She is also keeping everything going for our two girls and you wouldn't believe how big of a rock she is for me right now. Besides my steadfast faith, I need that woman more than she could ever know. She has just been fantastic, as always."
While Arey has maintained an incredibly positive outlook, he admits the diagnosis initially weighed heavily on Emily.
"My wife has had a lot harder time with this than I have, to be honest. She's a lot better now that we have some sort of a treatment plan."
Having a plan matters and the unknown often creates the greatest fear. Once treatment began and the family understood the road ahead, they were able to focus less on uncertainty and more on moving forward together. Their daughters have also shown remarkable maturity.
"My two daughters have been great throughout this," Arey said. "They're very accepting and understanding. They get what's going on. They know my focus is to ensure their lives don't change. They understand that Daddy's life will change for a while but we're going to beat this, and everything will get back to normal."
That commitment to protecting normalcy extends even to family traditions.
"I can't be around a lot of people right now due to my immune system, but I insisted that my wife and girls take their annual July 4th beach trip without me," Arey said. "I didn’t want to be a burden on that trip with some of my restrictions and I'm glad they went and had fun, so I didn’t hold them back."
It's a selfless decision that perfectly reflects Arey's character. Even while facing the toughest challenge of his life, he's putting his family's happiness ahead of his own.
A RENEWED APPRECIATION
Although tournament competition has been placed on hold, fishing itself remains a vital part of Arey's life. In many ways, he says, it has become even more meaningful.
"On the bright side, I'm thoroughly enjoying the time with my family," he said. "It has also ignited a passion for just fun-fishing. I'm going once a week still, when my numbers are good. I will never stop fishing."
There's something therapeutic about time on the water. For professional anglers, it's easy for fishing to become work. Practice schedules, travel logistics, sponsorship responsibilities and tournament pressure can overshadow the simple joy that first drew them to the sport. Now, Arey is reconnecting with that original passion.
THE COMMUNITY BEHIND HIM
One of the unique qualities of professional bass fishing is the genuine camaraderie shared among competitors. While anglers battle fiercely during tournaments, they also rally around one another during life's most difficult moments. Since announcing his diagnosis, Arey has received an overwhelming amount of encouragement from fellow competitors, sponsors and fishing fans across the country. It's another reminder that bass fishing is far more than a competition. It’s a family.
For Team Toyota, Arey has long represented everything the brand values: humility, perseverance, integrity and an unwavering commitment to doing things the right way. Those same qualities are now carrying him through a challenge far bigger than any tournament.
Cancer may have interrupted his Elite Series schedule, but it hasn’t changed who Matt Arey is. If anything, it has simply revealed even more clearly the character that's always existed beneath the jersey. If there's one thing decades of tournament fishing have taught Matt Arey, it's that no matter how rough the conditions become, you never stop making the next cast.
