Friday, November 21, 2014

Friday, November 21, 2014

Tonight's picture was taken in November of 2008. Pictured with Mattie was Liza. Liza was a child life volunteer. Neither Peter nor I will forget Liza. Liza was a professional dancer at one time and also had a voice like Glinda the good witch from the Wizard of Oz. She was very memorable, sweet, and had a wonderful disposition and manner about her. Mattie gravitated to her, and I can't say he gravitated to most volunteers.  Most volunteers he threw right out of the room! Like me, Mattie assessed people quickly and was an excellent judge of character. This photo captures two friends, a Lego car, and if you notice closely something was driving the Lego car. It was a roach made out of model magic. We still have this roach today. 


Quote of the day: It's not what you look at that matters. It's what you see. ~ Henry David Thoreau

I feel as if my life has turned into one large piece of candy! I am either loading candy, transporting candy, or giving it away! Today I drove around parts of DC that I was unfamiliar with. I had my map and my GPS on my phone talking to me. I am very directionally challenged so I need all the help I can get. Meanwhile Peter was traveling to Atlanta for the day on business, so I knew I couldn't call him if I was lost. Which I do often! He is so used to my panic calls! The funny part is I expect him to know exactly where I am and help me find my way out of any wrong turns that I make. Somehow he always manages, he is better than a GPS. But today I was flying solo and I had to have maps and my phone talking to me.... guiding me along the way. 

My first stop was to the Ronald McDonald House. The house managers were good sports and posed for a cute photo! The house itself looks lovely from the outside, though unlike the one in Falls Church, I did not tour this facility today. 

My next stop was to the HSC Pediatric Center. Peter and I had actually visited this Center once before, a few years ago to do a presentation about Mattie Miracle to the hospital staff. It was nice to get connected with Courtney, who is the Hospital's child life specialist! This Center is formerly called the Hospital for Sick Children.  http://www.hscpediatriccenter.org/

I am posting the blog early because as soon as Peter's plane lands this afternoon we are driving two hours to Winchester, VA. We have been invited to give a two hour presentation tomorrow to an organization called Special Love. Special Love is a nonprofit that provides cancer families a network of support, made up of other patients and families who know and understand the trials and triumphs of the cancer experience. Special Love is hosting a parent retreat this weekend and we are doing the morning's educational session. The title of our presentation is "Childhood cancer and its psychosocial impact.... A parents' call to action to create a National Psychosocial Standard of Care." We are donating 30 Ziploc bags of candy to the organization for the December Holiday party they are hosting for children and families with childhood cancer. 

http://www.specialove.org/