Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2009. The two women posing with Mattie were child life interns at the Hospital, Meg and Laura. What I also love about this photo is the up close and personal view of the activity of "George." George was the name of Mattie's left leg. This is the name Mattie's orthopedic surgeon selected for Mattie's left leg. I always said that George was the perfect name for this leg, since it was very curious and up to trouble, not unlike Curious George (the children's book character). Since Mattie's other three limbs were operated on, the left leg (the only non-cancerous limb) was used like an arm and hand. Mattie had more of an opportunity to work with Meg than with Laura. I admit that Mattie was challenging and if he felt you didn't get him, he could make your life very difficult. I remember first meeting Meg in clinic. She was brand new to the Hospital, and I admit I didn't always accept change well. Especially after losing two of Mattie's favorite child life interns, Whitney and Lesley (their internship finished which happens, but of course we remained at the hospital). However, two things that captured me about Meg are her energy and spirit. She was actually the perfect match for Mattie. She could give out as good as he could dish out. I truly felt if an intern could learn to work with Mattie, then that person was cut out for the challenges of that profession. Meg proved herself very worthy.
Quote of the day: Time is a game played beautifully by children. ~ Heraclitus
The major news today is our Foundation Walk website was launched and has gone live. We are already receiving individual and group registrations which is lovely! Peter and I were working out kinks in the system all day, but I think tonight, we can take that stress off our plate.
I had the opportunity to meet up with my freshman college roommate today. Leslie lives in Maryland and her daughter, Faye, has been working closely with the Foundation this year. Faye helped us with our April item drive and today I picked up all of her efforts! It is wonderful to see such a young person activate and want to participate in our mission!
It is ironic, Leslie and I had a lot of friends in college. We basically hung out with the same people. However, most of these individuals we have lost track of, which doesn't seem possible. We felt so close to these friends at one time, but as I say often, no matter how close you are to someone, if the relationship isn't nurtured.... it will die. I think it speaks volumes that Leslie and I have stayed connected all these years and it means a great deal to me that she and her entire family support the work that Peter and I do. When Leslie was in college she lived in Vermont. I went to visit her home several times, and on one occasion she took a few of us to Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory. That maybe where my admiration started for the Holstein cow and ice cream. One can never under estimate how a connection with a friend can change one's life and perspective.
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