Mattie Miracle Walk 2023 was a $131,249 success!

Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation Promotional Video

Thank you for keeping Mattie's memory alive!

Dear Mattie Blog Readers,

It means a great deal to us that you take the time to write to us and to share your thoughts, feelings, and reflections on Mattie's battle and death. Your messages are very meaningful to us and help support us through very challenging times. To you we are forever grateful. As my readers know, I promised to write the blog for a year after Mattie's death, which would mean that I could technically stop writing on September 9, 2010. However, at the moment, I feel like our journey with grief still needs to be processed and fortunately I have a willing support network still committed to reading. Therefore, the blog continues on. If I should find the need to stop writing, I assure you I will give you advanced notice. In the mean time, thank you for reading, thank you for having the courage to share this journey with us, and most importantly thank you for keeping Mattie's memory alive.


As Mattie would say, Ooga Booga (meaning, I LOVE YOU)! Vicki and Peter



The Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation celebrates its 7th anniversary!

The Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation was created in the honor of Mattie.

We are a 501(c)(3) Public Charity. We are dedicated to increasing childhood cancer awareness, education, advocacy, research and psychosocial support services to children, their families and medical personnel. Children and their families will be supported throughout the cancer treatment journey, to ensure access to quality psychosocial and mental health care, and to enable children to cope with cancer so they can lead happy and productive lives. Please visit the website at: www.mattiemiracle.com and take some time to explore the site.

We have only gotten this far because of people like yourself, who have supported us through thick and thin. So thank you for your continued support and caring, and remember:

.... Let's Make the Miracle Happen and Stomp Out Childhood Cancer!

A Remembrance Video of Mattie

July 2, 2016

Saturday, July 2, 2016

Saturday, July 2, 2016

Tonight's picture was taken in May of 2005. Mattie was clearly standing on a tractor stool. What you should know about this was Mattie and Peter designed and built this stool together. In fact their initials are on it! Mattie loved anything with wheels and when he needed a stool to reach the sink these two creative guys got together, went to Home Depot, bought some wood and paint, and the rest is history. I love this stool so much that we still have it. It sits in my clothes closet and I use it when I can't reach things. I am sure when Mattie and Peter originally designed it, they never thought I would be the stool's user. I know I never did.


Quote of the day: Maybe you judge what you leave behind by what you inspire in other people. ~ From Kinky Boots, the Musical


This afternoon, Peter and I went to see Kinky Boots, the musical at the Kennedy Center. Despite living in our Nation's capital, I can't say we are lucky enough to have access to numerous Broadway musicals on a regular basis. So when they do come to town, I like to see them, because Peter and I both love musicals. Which should make sense since we met each other in our college's choir. In all reality when I read the synopsis of Kinky Boots, it doesn't resonate with me. Yet we did purchase and donated Kinky Boot tickets for the Mattie Miracle raffle and I figured they would sell since the show has NEVER been to DC! I was right. Yet I felt if I was encouraging others to go, I should purchase tickets for us too. So I got great tickets two days ago at a discounted rate through Goldstar! 

Here is the synopsis of Kinky Boots: 

After his father's demise, Charlie Price inherits the family business, a shoe factory in Northampton, England. He is not interested in shoes, and the factory is in such dire financial straits that he must lay off 15 employees. However a fortuitous encounter with a transvestite cabaret singer inspires Charlie to save the factory from closure by producing women's footwear for men, much to the chagrin of the workers.


Though there are many men on stage dressed as women, this is not an La Cage Aux Folles type of thing. To me this musical has much more substance, meaning and emotion! Also regardless of your gender preference this show has a moral message that isn't gender specific but human being specific! Was the music slightly loud and was the dictation of performers hard to understand.... yes! But you have to look passed that. The dancing and choreography were wonderful, fun, creative, and made you want to get up and dance at the end! But I think what caught my attention is the moral messages throughout the show. The show is all about living up to your potential, discovering who you really are, and to follow your passion in life. At the end of the show there is a musical number entitled, "Raise you up/Just be." This is a segment of the lyrics from that number which I just loved..............

Alright, now we've all heard of the 12 step program, have we not?
Yes, but what you can do in 12, I want you to know that we all can do in 6 now, and it goes like this:

One: Pursue the truth
Two: Learn something new
Three: Accept yourself and you'll accept others too!
Four: Let love shine
Five: Let pride be your guide

Six: Change the world when you change your mind!


Kinky Boots closes at the Kennedy Center on July 10. If you are looking for something fun and uplifting this is worth the ticket price. 


Washington Post Review:

1 comment:

Margy Jost said...

Vicki,
I have been ending my day lately, reading your blog. I know I will see a darling picture of Mattie along with more information about Mattie! Love this. I also love your quote of the day. Many, like tonight's, inspire me to spend time pondering it. I am not sure if we will have time to catch the show this time. However, I learned a lot from your post !! Your blog is a learning lesson!!!!!