Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Tuesday, September 18, 2012 -- Mattie died 158 weeks ago today.

Tonight's picture was taken in March of 2009. If this photo had a title, I would call it, "Meeting of the Minds!" Pictured with Mattie is Meg. Meg was Mattie's last Child Life Intern that he worked with. Meg and Mattie had many of the same traits and characteristics, which is why I suspect she was able to get under Mattie's skin and get him moving at times. Physical therapy was very challenging for Mattie, especially when we asked him to get out of his wheelchair and work his legs. I personally think Mattie's hesitation to participate was due to fear and pain. Not laziness or defiance. Any case, the number one way to get Mattie out of his chair and walking was to have a walking/racing competition with Meg. I will be displaying several Meg/Mattie pictures on the blog this week, so you can see the competition unfolding in the middle of the hospital floor. But the beauty of Meg, was she hammed up her part, and while she was "trying" to beat Mattie in the race, she NEVER did! Mattie always won, and he loved the competition, Meg's humor, and of course the attention he got in the process.


Quote of the day: Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em. ~ William Shakespeare


When I reflect on tonight's quote, I almost wonder if Shakespeare had Mattie in mind when he said it. Clearly not, and yet it is so applicable to Mattie. In my opinion Mattie was born great, he achieved a greatness so many of us wish to achieve, and though I think his greatest would have blossomed over time (if he was given time!), greatness was indeed thrust upon him while battling cancer.

It was quite evident to me that Mattie was born different. I always felt this way, right from day one. Mattie was a force, he knew what he wanted, he knew how to get it, and was persistent and strong willed about EVERYTHING. For me, my "greatness" was thrust upon me the day Mattie was born. Mattie forced me immediately out of my comfort zone and I quickly learned parenting Mattie wasn't going to follow a textbook or guidebook. Mattie and I developed a very close bond for many reasons. At the core, our personalities were very much alike, we saw the world and people in similar ways, but even with all these commonalities, Mattie pushed me to think outside the box and to be a better person and parent.

The ultimate test we faced as a threesome was Mattie's cancer diagnosis. When I think of what Mattie had to endure (9 months of intense chemotherapy, two limb salvaging surgeries, experimental treatment for 8 months, a sternotomy, and cyberknife radiation) it is beyond overwhelming. I am sure the average adult would have been cowering in the corner, I know I would have been, and I also know that if I had to go through what Mattie endured, my life would not have been SO public. However, Mattie was six years old when diagnosed and he was a member of several school communities, all of whom were invaluable support networks for us. I understood these networks wanted to know how Mattie was doing, and I also thought it was important to keep these channels of communication open because eventually we thought Mattie would return to his school.

Though I think Team Mattie is comprised of special and talented people, I too think that Mattie's cancer thrust greatness upon them. After all, this team was comprised of two school communities, our work communities, and friends and family. Yet despite this diversity, everyone united over a common goal, and though Mattie isn't with us today, so many members of Team Mattie are still friends because of the greatness thrust upon them. At the end of the day, a day that marks 158 weeks without Mattie, I remember that we produced a child that achieved greatness in himself and others.