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

December 14, 2016

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Tonight's picture was taken in January 2009, as Mattie's friend Abbie was celebrating her 7th birthday. Though Mattie was in a wheelchair, he occasionally could stand for periods of time, and as you can see here, he was motivated and intrigued to share in this moment as Abbie opened her presents. Mattie and Abbie went to preschool and kindergarten together. When Mattie was battling cancer, Abbie was one of his friends that came often to visit him in the hospital. She did not seem to be intimidated by all the foreign hospital noises and smells. But instead was focused on playing and engaging with Mattie. It was a special friendship. 


Quote of the day: Many people will walk in and out of your life but only true friends leave footprints in your heart. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt



Today was Abbie's 15th birthday. Seeing Abbie grow puts Mattie's death further into perspective for me. Because in my mind Mattie is FOREVER 7! I feel trapped in that time period, and I have heard other parents who lost children (particularly only children) describe life in the same manner. Yet when I see Mattie's friends and classmates growing, it is cognitive dissonance (is the mental stress or discomfort experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefsideas, or values at the same time) for me! The dissonance is I know Mattie died and would be 15 this April, but on the other hand, Mattie will always be 7 and a child to me and therefore I can't understand why others around me aren't standing still in time. My life has been permanently altered and as such it is hard to rationalize why others continue to evolve and thrive. 

In honor of Abbie's birthday, I contributed to her girl scout troop's fundraiser. The fundraiser is a flocking. In which a flock of pink plastic flamingos get placed on a lawn for a few days to share a message. After the message is delivered, then the flamingos take flight (or are moved by hand by the girl scouts) to the next house taking part in the fundraiser. 

This Fall I have been flocking houses all over Alexandria. It is limited to the Alexandria location, otherwise, this flock most likely would have been traveling some distances. It was important to me to thank many of my steadfast Mattie Miracle volunteers and I couldn't think of a better and more hilarious THANK YOU!

1 comment:

Margy Jost said...

Vicki, I love this particular quote quite a lot. I am glad to know of Mattie's special friendship with Abby. Even at a young age, we can be a true friend. I suspect Mattie's friendship meant much more to Abby than any fears, to Abby, MATTIE WAS MATTIE. When I worked and a new child joined the play table, the other kids were very welcoming. Instinctively, I believe, they seem to know immediately if this was a child who would show his port, CVL, or that was just too much. There is the saying, " kids say the darnedest things" yet my observation as the PlayLady is children also read cues from a new child on how to proceed. I never coached or prompted. I just welcomed to whatever we were doing or if they like doing something else. The kids, also in treatment took it from there.i learned so much from the children. I know this is not always what some found when they returned to school. But there were always children like ABBY!

I like that idea of being flocked. It does sound fun!!
I am not in your shoes but experience with other families has taught me that
Children remain in the minds & hearts of their parents, the age, they were when they died. Time and memories go only to the point where they stopped.

Your blogs continue to help me know Mattie better through your memories! Thank you for this gift!