Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Tuesday, October 13, 2015 -- Mattie died 317 weeks ago today. 

This photo of Mattie on a golf ball was sent to us by a fellow parent who was hosting a golf tournament and featured Mattie and other children on the green. They posted this photo on Peter's Facebook page and naturally I quickly downloaded it! I know that parents who have lost their child to cancer refer to their child as either a cancer angel or warrior. I am not sure why neither of these terms resonate with me, and I never refer to Mattie in that manner. Not that I don't think he was either (angel and warrior), it is just that this is not how I depict him in my mind or heart. 






Quote of the day: Blessed are they that see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing. ~ Pissaro

My friend in cancer, sent me this photo today and it resonated with me. Not just the fact that it depicts a butterfly, which I associate with Mattie, but because of Pissaro's quote. After I lost Mattie, the simple and the natural are what truly captures my attention. 

For the past week, while sitting at my desk, a monarch butterfly flutters by. Almost at the same time each afternoon. If I lived in the suburbs or in a rural area, one would probably think nothing of this. But since I live in the heart of the city, I take notice! Also the fact that it is a daily occurrence. 






Peter took the photos below of Marina City in Chicago. I asked him to take a photo of them because I know that when my paternal uncle lived in Chicago, he lived in these towers. He even sent me a poster of these towers years ago and put an X on the poster indicating his floor. I have never seen Marina City in person, so I figured a photo would be the next best thing. 

The Marina City complex was designed in 1959 by architect Bertrand Goldberg and completed in 1964 at a cost of $36 million, financed to a large extent by the union of building janitors and elevator operators, who sought to reverse the pattern of white flight from the city's downtown area. When finished, the two towers were both the tallest residential buildings and the tallest reinforced concrete structures in the world. The complex was built as a city within a city, featuring numerous on-site facilities including a theatre, gym, swimming pool, ice rink, bowling alley, several stores and restaurants, and, of course, a marina. 

Marina City was the first urban post-war high-rise residential complex in the United States and is widely credited with beginning the residential renaissance of American inner cities. Its model of mixed residential and office uses and high-rise towers with a base of parking has become a primary model for urban development in the United States and throughout the world, and has been widely copied throughout many cities internationally. Marina City construction employed the first tower crane used in the United States.






Any one who thinks that a nurse just handles a patient's medical concerns, hasn't really interacted with a nurse. These professionals are the first responders to psychosocial issues for patients and their families. Those who walked along with us during Mattie's cancer battle know of Brandon, Mattie's best buddy (and a cancer survivor). Brandon's niece was treated by Nurse Pam (featured in this article), and based on my own experience with Mattie's nurses, this story hits home to me. Our nurses not only cared for Mattie, but they became part of our family.

Nurse adopts a little boy after he recovers from birth defect:

http://www.littlethings.com/nurse-pam-adopts-yuri/