Tonight's picture was taken in October of 2008. As you can see Mattie was recovering from his first limb salvaging surgery. His right arm was all wrapped up and therefore had to get used to using his left hand. What I love about this photo was Mattie and his Utz potato chip! Mattie went through several food cravings while battling cancer. He went through his vanilla shake phase, his dunkin donut phase, his pasta phase, and his potato chip phase. But it couldn't be just any potato chip. It had to be the Utz brand. I know Peter remembers this well, since he unfortunately had to roam around the hospital many nights looking for the right vending machine to dispense Utz potato chips. Mattie really wouldn't eat any other kind. I suppose they tasted differently. Naturally given what Mattie was dealing with, if he wanted something specifically that we had control over, we made every effort to make it happen. I view the potato chip runs as funny, however, Peter doesn't, for him even reflecting on these runs was depressing. Most likely because the pressure was on him and he knew he couldn't come back to the room without chips. Also while Peter was roaming around the hospital at night, it truly was isolating and a ghost town. Hospitals have a different rhythm at night and on the weekends.
Quote of day: Changing is not just changing the things outside of us. First of all we need the right view that transcends all notions including of being and non-being, creator and creature, mind and spirit. That kind of insight is crucial for transformation and healing. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
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