
Matt “Giant” Barrett, 1965—2014
Matt battled several forms of cancer since the age of 2 and survived over 1700 operations. Through all of that he maintained a tenderness and courage that made him widely beloved. One of the places he was known and beloved was SHARE/WHEEL’s Tent City 3, which he said “was a place he could be accepted and loved as he was.”
- Matt Barrett obituary from Seattle Times
- Tribute to Matt from Greater Seattle Cares
- A View from the Street, Matt’s blog
- A Lifelong Journey, a feature on Matt by the Invisible Disabilities Association
- Walking with Giant, photo essay by Ilona Berzups
Matt’s Leaf is located at the Seattle Central Library. If you have photos or memories of Matt, please comment.

2 Comments
Jim Ketcham
Matt was called Giant for a reason, ok, maybe several reasons, but one was that he was like seven feet tall. One day I found myself walking behind him at a bus terminal and, not needing to see his face, I blurted out, “Excuse me sir, but you are walking like a Giant!” He turned and seeing me he laughed. I had not seen him in months -we knew each other from Tent City 3. I asked how he was doing and he said that he was actually in a good deal of pain but you made me laugh. We caught different buses.
Chris"troubLE" smith
I miss the hell out of Matt. His heart was bigger than he was. And was and is one of the very very few people who I always knew had me no matter what. Truly one of my heroes. I’m glad to known him and proud to call him true family.
blessed is anyone who ever met him