Tonight's picture was taken in May of 2002. Mattie was only a month old, but look at his expression! If this doesn't scream out HELLO, I'm watching you and I'm very alert, I don't know what does!!! Mattie was a force, an energy, and very connected to me. In a way, I feel like I am living out some sort of cruel experiment that is trying to assess the impact of losing someone so important to my existence. I had the chance to meet with someone else today who also lost a loved one. This person and I really do not know each other well, but guess what...... the perspective that grief will always be a part of us and time doesn't heal all wounds, are deeply shared between us.
Quote of the day: The greatest mistake in the treatment of diseases is that there are physicians for the body and physicians for the soul, although the two cannot be separated. ~ Plato
As you can see, in the top row (left) is a photo of Annie and two of her friends at the Holton-Arms Bazaar. Within 45 minutes at the Bazaar these girls sold $200 worth of handcrafted merchandise. The top middle photo was taken at the 2011 Mattie Miracle Walk, the top right photo was Mattie Miracle's visit to the Build-a-Bear store with a local Alexandria Girl Scout troop. This Troop raised funds to build 100 bears and then as the third row (left) photo illustrates, the girls visited Georgetown University Hospital and distributed bears to patients and their siblings.
The second row (left) is a photo I took with Lauren Chelenza, the creator of Bows for Hope, at our 2011 Walk. Lauren is in 9th grade and developed her own non-profit to raise money solely for Mattie Miracle. Lauren is an osteosarcoma survivor and was diagnosed around the same time as Mattie. A week apart! The middle photo in the second row depicts our Hospital snack cart that we helped to establish and that we keep stocked. I think the middle right photo doesn't need much explanation..... that was me sitting with 1000 pounds of candy that the Foundation donated to the Hospital after our successful post-Halloween candy drive.
The third row middle photo illustrates, "Comfort Positioning." This is a technique that child life specialists train parents and other caregivers to provide to the patient. This type of positioning is used by the Child Life Specialist that Mattie Miracle helps to fund. This form of positioning helps comfort the patient during procedures and IVs. Lastly the photo on the bottom right was taken at one of check signing parties that we had at Georgetown University Hospital, funds which are used to endow the Mattie Miracle Child Life Program Fund.
Tomorrow's greeting to the girls has to be short and sweet, yet I want it to be memorable, and capture their attention. I believe it is crucial to energize the younger generation and empower them to participate. Age doesn't matter, kids can help make a difference in the lives of children with cancer. My new motto is..... if I have inspired Annie to want to advocate on behalf of Mattie Miracle, then I am doing something right!
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