Friday, November 7, 2014

Friday, November 7, 2014

Tonight's picture was taken in October of 2008. I can tell Mattie had his first limb salvaging surgery for two reasons. First of course was because his right arm wasn't in his pajama sleeve. The right arm was the first one operated on. The second way I know was because of the positioning of Mattie's bed. Typically when Mattie was getting chemotherapy we would push his bed parallel against the wall of the room. In order to give more movable and play space within the room. However, whenever Mattie had surgery, his pediatric intensive care staff required that his bed be perpendicular to the wall so they could access him from every angle. Despite having limited space in the room, we still found ways to play. Usually on the bed and THANK GOODNESS for boxes. Which Mattie was a champ at transforming into just about anything. 


Quote of day: The world is hugged by the faithful arms of volunteers. ~ Everett Mamor


Today was a very busy day! It started with driving my car to be repaired. I have had my car for 12 years now. I got it a month before Mattie was born. We bought it because we were expecting a baby and wanted the latest technology with airbags, anti-lock brakes, and so forth. We did our homework and settled on the car that I have been driving for the past many years! However this week I have noticed a grinding sound whenever I stomped on the brakes. So in the car went for repairs!  

I brought the car in at 10am and I was assigned to a woman named Sharon as my service coordinator. I really liked Sharon a lot. Very customer focused! Any case, Sharon told me how the process was going to work and she knew that I planned on waiting at the dealership for the car to be repaired. Fortunately there are several restaurants nearby that I could walk to and sit at while the car was being serviced. I gave Sharon my cell phone number and she promised to call me within 45 minutes after my car was dropped off to update me with the car's diagnosis and to discuss next steps. 

As promised within 45 to 50 minutes she called me and like I always joke, my car's issues are NEVER simple. They are always significant. One of the issues were the brakes. The brake pads in my car were almost completely gone. She and I discussed this because in all reality this couldn't have happened over the course of just this week. Yet there were NO OTHER tell tale signs of this, other than the grinding sound that happened this week! She explained to me the blessing and curse of fine German engineering and the beauty of the fine metals used in their car brakes. Apparently so good that I couldn't feel anything unusual as the driver. If it weren't for this sound, I would never have known I had a problem. She did tell me however that in 2004 and thereafter all VW's now have sensor lights that tell drivers when brake pads need to be replaced. The ironic part about this is my car is always in for repairs and servicing, so there is no reason this wasn't caught sooner! That was one part I of the problem today. 

In any case, when Sharon called me she let me know that it would take several hours for my car to be repaired and therefore they wanted to give me a loaner car for the day so that I wouldn't be trapped in one place. I really appreciated that since I had things to do. As Sharon was handing me the keys for the loaner car, I explained to her that I would be returning with a trunk full of candy for my Foundation. She was intrigued and wanted to know more, so I told her about Mattie Miracle and Mattie. Sharon then told me about her father who was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We connected on many levels today. I also explained to Sharon that I bought my VW when I was pregnant with Mattie and that the car means a lot to me. I remember coming to her showroom several times with Mattie too, therefore though I need a new car, it is hard to part with the one I have. She understood! 

In the midst of getting my car back into working order, the candy kept rolling in today! In fact, we got a lovely donation from Fox 5's own Beth Parker! Beth also collected candy from her neighbors and friends! Way to go Beth! When she delivered the candy to my complex's front desk, they were all thrilled to see her. 

My friend Tina had a candy pick up today at Lyles Crouch Traditional Academy!!! A rather significant accumulation no?? We are very appreciative of these donations and Peter and I are also grateful to volunteers who are helping us this year sort all this candy. In the past we took on a lot of the sorting ourselves. But this year, we could never have done it without a lot of help!

Several of the children involved in the candy collection at Lyles Crouch Traditional Academy! I am told that one of the girls in the photo is actually a cancer survivor. I am not sure which one, but I think it is touching that she was involved in this project and that her friends and classmates were right along side her supporting her in a way. It is important to remember that childhood cancer doesn't end when the treatment stops! The battle continues on even in survivorship, or end of life care and bereavement. 

Meanwhile my friend Ann sent me some photos of the candy delivery made to her house this evening from the St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School (SSSAS). Mattie attended kindergarten at SSSAS and it is very touching to see his school participate in the candy drive this year. All three campuses (lower, middle, and high school) were involved in the drive and not only did the School collect an incredible amount of candy for us but they also sorted all of it! Sorting the candy is very labor intensive but very important. It helps preserve the candy for longer in storage and allows for quality control ensuring that each of the pieces is sealed and appropriate for a hospital setting. 

SSSAS donated seven large bins filled with candy!!! It was a very significant contribution. There are many schools involved in our candy drive, but it is deeply meaningful to us to know that one of Mattie's schools is participating. Perhaps it makes us feel a part of that community on some level, despite the fact that we lost that status in 2009.

This year we are posting updates about our candy drive on Facebook and Twitter. We try to acknowledge the schools and businesses donating the candy, but with the pace that the candy is coming in, I feel like I am bound to miss someone inadvertently.