Penola High School teacher Sam Matthews thanks community for love and support while he battles terminal cancer

A regional community is rallying around their beloved high school teacher fighting terminal cancer as he shares a message for his two young children.

Beloved dad Sam Matthews has devoted his life to kids, his own and those he teaches at Penola High School in the South East.

As he confronts a diagnosis of stage four terminal cancer, the 38-year-old has laid out his dreams for daughter Audrey, 5, and son Frank, who is 21 months old.

Mr Matthews, from Rendelsham, has been having chemotherapy for metastatic peritoneal cancer since August and has recently been put onto a new regime.

Sam Matthews with his two young kids Audrey and Frank. Picture: Supplied by the family

His cancer load has fallen but doctors are unsure how much time he has so he is sharing dreams for his kids.

“I’d like them to see just how many amazing experience I’ve been able to have in my life through following what I was interested and I hope that they are able to do the same thing with their lives,” he said.

Learning he was terminally ill was “surreal”, Mr Matthews said.

“It was like an out-of-body experience,” he said.

“I was pretty devastated and scared.

“A big part of my worry initially and continuing has been for Erin and the kids.”

Sam Matthews with his wife Erin and their two young kids Audrey and Frank. Picture: Supplied by the family

Sam Matthews with his wife Erin on their wedding day. Picture: Supplied by the family

Mr Matthews reads books and builds block houses with Frank and draws with Audrey, memories they can hold in the future.

For Mr Mathews’ wife, whom he met at Unley High School, the moment doctors revealed the diagnosis replays like a nightmare.

“One of the surgeons came in and shut the curtains – straight away we knew something was wrong,” Erin Matthews said.

The family has been embraced by their friends and their local community.

When the family was forced to stay in Adelaide for Mr Matthews’ treatment, their friends and family ensured they had an enjoyable Christmas away from home.

“Some beautiful friends from here came to our house and packed up all the kids’ Christmas presents and loaded them up in a caravan and drove to Adelaide,” Mrs Matthews said.

Sam Matthews with his wife Erin met at Unley High School Picture: Supplied by the family

Mr Matthews’ staff and students from Penola High School “rallied around us”.

Principal Lesley Okholm said Mr Matthews is “just fabulous and caring.”

“The kids love him,” Mrs Okholm said.

Mrs Okholm said she still gets goosebumps when she remembers how Mr Matthews broke the news of his illness to his students.

“It was so exposing – he was pretty frank and I think the kids appreciated that,” she said.

Mr Matthews is a big fan of Australian folk and blues artist Kim Churchill.

As a special surprise for her husband, Erin asked the artist to sing at a small event on their property, but that idea has now turned into a private concert for her husband and their community.

Mrs Matthews’s friend Toni Duka is organising the event and has set-up a GoFundMe to help support the family.