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

February 6, 2017

Monday, February 6, 2017

Monday, February 6, 2017

Tonight's picture was taken in February of 2009. Mattie was in the clinic and his art therapists were asked to design a "Welcome" sign to the pediatric in-patient units. Jenny and Jessie are very creative, so they could easily design a sign without a problem. But they took the creativity one step further. They asked Mattie if he wanted to do a hand print and add it to the sign. That did not interest Mattie AT ALL. So then I suggested what about a foot print of Curious George (the name we gave to Mattie's left foot and leg, because it was his only limb not affected by cancer and therefore his left leg/foot became as useful as a hand)! This photo shows the foot painting process! Mattie loved the whole experience. 

On the fifth floor of the hospital, this Pediatrics welcome sign still hangs. Mattie's left foot print is featured on the right. Every time I visit the in-patient units I see Mattie's foot. He is no longer physically with us, but his foot print remains. Which is very meaningful to me. 






Quote of the day: Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's when you've had everything to do, and you've done it. ~ Margaret Thatcher


Two articles came out on-line today highlighting the Psychosocial Standards of Care. I included the links below. In the first article, I love that Mattie's pumpkin photo was featured in the article. In all reality, it was Mattie's cancer experience that inspired us to establish develop evidence based standards of care. Mattie battle showed us that childhood cancer is not just about the medicine and that the psychosocial issues do not end when the treatment does.... both for the child and the family. 

When I love about the first article is it states, "Although the interests of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society lie more broadly in addressing the psychological, social, emotional and spiritual needs of all people living with cancer and their family members, its interest in pediatric psychosocial care was fueled by the experience of Vicki and Peter Brown who lost their only child to a very aggressive form of osteosarcoma." I have to say that until I read this, I had no real idea that we were directing the focus of an entire professional association as well. It is truly remarkable how Mattie's cancer was like a pebble hitting water....... in which the waves and ripples are producing measurable psychosocial by-products that will hopefully help other children like Mattie, and families like mine. 

I invite you to read these articles. They are short but interesting!

Addressing psychosocial care in childhood cancer
https://www.changetogether.com/oncology/addressing-psychosocial-care-childhood-cancer


The Psychosocial Standards of Care Project for Childhood Cancer
https://www.changetogether.com/resources/best-practices/psychosocial-standards-care-childhood-cancer




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