This picture was taken in July of 2009. Mattie was in the Lombardi Clinic, and the Magic Man (otherwise known as Bob Weiman, Mattie's head of school) came to visit. Mattie and Bob performed several tricks for an audience. An audience comprised of two good friends of Mattie's, Jocelyn and Maya, and Mattie's social worker, Denise. Mattie had three wonderful buddies at the hospital, Brandon, Jocelyn, and Maya. Those of you attending the walk this year, will have the opportunity to see these wonderful friends, as they help lead us during the first lap around the track. Peter and I are so grateful to these three people. With them Mattie felt "normal" and part of a community. He played, chatted about his concerns, and could be himself with them. I think it is very special that Bob Weiman is performing magic tricks with fifth graders at the Walk this year. Mattie would be very happy that this tradition is being continued, since he had a great time performing with Bob last year at the March for a Mattie Miracle.
Poem of the day: I thought I'd never have to... by Raquel Calderon
I knew this day would eventually come
But I never thought it would be now
[he] was so precious, [he] was the one
Who would change my life some how.
You are not supposed to bury your children
They are supposed to bury you
It's hard to think this disease would take [him]
And there is nothing I can do.
It was so hard to say those words
Because we all loved [him] so
I didn't want [him] to suffer any more
So I had to let [him] go.
[His] passing was so hard to handle
But has made us oh so strong
We know the road will be a battle
But [he] is where [he] belongs.
Today was another busy day with Walk preparations. My parents came into town last night, and they helped me with posters, picking up Foundation mail, and the endless and tiring assembly of putting metal loops through 400 charms. These awareness charms will be part of the free gift we are giving walkers this year. My parents were great sports, as we sat together for at least two hours working diligently on this project.
Coordinating a Walk of this magnitude is no easy feat! We are so grateful to our volunteers. Many of whom I contacted today, and though I am throwing last minute things at them, they are finding a way to make it work and happen. As we are three days away from the Walk, Ann (our walk chair) and I are now in constant contact. We typically converse daily anyway, but at some points now we are doing hour by hour check ins.
At lunch time, we had the opportunity to meet up with my friend, Amany. Amany and I went to graduate school together, and we have known each other for close to 15 years. Surviving a doctoral program required great support, and we helped each other through the process, the ups and downs, and the complexities of having children while studying, doing clinical work, and writing a dissertation. I have been troubled by some recent events in my life, many of which I do not report on the blog. But needless to say, for a good two hours today, the four of us chatted about things, and I had the opportunity to receive a lot of validation. During this lunch, I started off agitated, which seems to be my usual state this week, but as we continued talking, I began to unwind. It was a good escape, which was much needed today.
Peter sent me the e-mail below from the CEO of the Pork Barrel BBQ restaurant in Del Ray, VA. I am thoroughly moved by Brett's email and incredible support. So much so, that I wanted to share it with you, and to also introduce you to this new restaurant in Northern Virginia. Peter and I are very grateful for this support and we look forward to future conversations together.
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We are honored to be a part, and I also made a donation via your website in support of the event and the mission. To help spread the word, we created a post on our site at http://www.porkbarrelbbq.com/blog/, shared a link on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1084117735, and sent out a tweet to our 25,000 followers asking them to donate and attend at http://twitter.com/porkbarrelbbq. We would love to get together for coffee in the coming weeks to meet and see how we can support you and the Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation.
Very truly yours,
Brett Thompson
CEO
Pork Barrel BBQ
http://www.porkbarrelbbq.com/
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I would like to end tonight's posting with a message from my friend, Charlie. Charlie wrote, "I was delighted to see the sun this morning and I hope it holds for the walk on Sunday. Rain or shine you will bring your own "sun" with you in the hearts and spirits of those who support you, Peter and the foundation. The baskets you and the volunteers came up with look really amazing and I hope the raffles make lots of money for the foundation. I am sure posting the wonderful descriptions and pictures on the blog will help spur interest for them. I love the picture of you sprawled out on the floor. When I read all that you are trying to do in so short a time I can't imagine how you are continuing to drive yourself to get it all done. As I've said, as hard as it is, you have to take some time for yourself or you will collapse as soon as you sit down. I am glad to see everything coming together so well and I will continue to send my energy to you. I hold you gently in my thoughts."
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