Saturday, May 28, 2011

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Tonight's picture was taken in May of 2008. We took Mattie to Calvert Cliffs in Maryland. This is a very special nature trail, that is about a mile in length. After walking, the trail leads you right onto the beach. The wonderful thing about this beach is if you are patient and do enough digging, you are sure to come home with sharks teeth. Mattie always had a good time visiting this well kept secret and as you can see in this picture he was all business as he was examining sand and sifting through it to find a prize. Mattie always left every visit there with several teeth in hand! 


Quote of the day: In grief we know the worst of what we feel but who can tell the end of what we fear? ~ Hannah More

I spent the entire day in front of the computer. I was determined to work on the grief and bereavement grant proposal for Georgetown University Hospital and complete it so that Peter and I can go on a week's vacation to the beach tomorrow without taking work with me. I just received the paperwork for the proposal yesterday afternoon, so this was a QUICK turn around time. It was after spending over 9 hours on this today and part of the day yesterday, that I had to accept that without my degree I could not possibly achieve what I did. Sometimes I wonder if the stress of getting a doctorate degree was worth it, but the program taught me how to write, think logically, and synthesize and generate research. After I submitted my draft to Dr. Shad tonight, she called me immediately. She loved what she was reading and wanted to let me know her feedback. The ironic part about this is it meant a lot to me that she thought I had the skills to do this and was competent enough to take this on. I not only proved that to myself today, but I had to accept that what I accomplished was unique to me and my skill set. I rarely give myself positive feedback, but even this, I couldn't help but acknowledge.

So literally in a week's time I gave a presentation at the Medical Grand Rounds at Georgetown University Hospital, in which I had to tell Mattie's story and the lessons learned, then two days later I hosted the Foundation's Walk, and now I just completed a grant proposal. That may not sound like a lot, but when you consider the emotional component to each of these activities, it is actually a FEAT of an achievement!

I need a break for a week and Peter and I are thankful to Ellen, Charlotte's mom, for allowing us to escape to her beach house. So the next time you will be hearing from me, I will be by the Atlantic Ocean. I would like to share some more pictures with you from the May 22 Foundation Walk.

A brand new addition to our Walk this year, was having food from Clyde's at the Mark Center. This particular Clyde's was Mattie favorite place to eat. However, not only did we have Clyde's food, but the food was grilled for us right at the event by the executive chef herself, Rebecca Jacks. Rebecca and I had never met each other, but she heard about us and about Mattie from the restaurant's general manager. When Clyde's offered to donate food to the Walk, I had no idea that Rebecca was also going to volunteer her time, energy, and resources. In our book, she is a very special person! To learn more about Clyde's at the Mark Center, please visit:
http://www.clydes.com/main/RestaurantsDetail.cfm?Restaurant=Clydes_at_Mark_Center&Section=Main


Rebecca's food went over extremely well and she really worked with me to figure out what types of food would hold up outside without access to refrigeration! I admired her concern for the safety of the food and for those consuming it. Rebecca and Liz Cortes, from the Lego store, are very rare and fine individuals. Because from my experience so many people are motivated by incentives and final outcomes. These ladies are motivated by the cause and the passion to help children with cancer. I salute them and hope this is only the beginning of our connection together.

For three years in a row, there has been a bake sale at our Walk! The bake sale is coordinated by one of Mattie's caregivers, Marisa. Marisa never knew Mattie when he was well. Instead, she helped me at home when Mattie was battling cancer. Despite the challenges he presented, Marisa never skipped a beat and was a compassionate and trustworthy caregiver to Mattie. Marisa is now attending college at NYU, and what you should know was that only days prior to the Walk did she complete finals. Despite that she came home and started her summer break by baking175 cupcakes to sell at the bake sale. She is a very special person and does a remarkable job at keeping Mattie's memory and spirit alive. He would have definitely approved of cupcakes at his Walk. After all, during treatment cupcakes were one of the foods Mattie actually loved to eat!

Marisa set up a cupcake decorating station at the Walk and as you can see, people of all ages loved designing their own cupcake and then of course eating it!