A Remembrance Video of Mattie

Thank you for keeping Mattie's memory alive!

Dear Mattie Blog Readers,

It means a great deal to me that you take the time to write and to share your thoughts, feelings, and reflections on Mattie's battle and death. Your messages are very meaningful and help support me through very challenging times. I am 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 have stopped writing on September 9, 2010. However, like my journey with grief there is so much that 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 me, and most importantly thank you for keeping Mattie's memory alive.


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



March 15, 2017

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2009. You maybe asking yourself..... what am I looking at? Well this was Mattie's right leg in a cast. Though Mattie had limb salvaging surgery on this leg in October, Mattie was never able to truly walk, stand, or straighten this leg. The leg seemed permanently bent at the knee. Part of the issue was Mattie wasn't able to do physical therapy post surgery to return to having a functioning leg. Because of his chemotherapy treatments, constantly feeling weak, and not being able to use crutches (since he had limb salvaging surgeries on each of his arms), there was never a time to rehabilitate the leg. Therefore it became bent. The goal of casting the leg was to straighten it back out. Unfortunately that never worked. But as you can see both Peter and I decorated Mattie's cast. Peter did the 'I love you' at the top and I did the 'U R my sunshine' at the bottom. 


Quote of the day: Treat everyone with politeness and kindness, not because they are nice, but because you are. ~ Roy T. Bennett


Today took winter to a whole other level. It was beyond frigid out and the wind made things ten time worse. It was the kind of day you don't want to be outside! Yet with Sunny the border collie that is not an option. I don't know how we walked four miles in this weather, but we did it. Sunny refuses to do his business in the snow, so finding the right location for him is important and that is quite a mission in the cold! Meanwhile in addition to my usual fibromyalgia pains, I have a new one that is radiating down into my foot. It is painful to wear shoes and to walk. I do it and push myself, but wow! 


I am proud to report that this year's Walk Website is up and operational. We have never had the website functioning two months before our event. Last year we switched platforms that hosted the Walk site. There was a VERY steep learning curve last year, but thankfully it made it much easier to reset the site this year and just update it.  This was a good investment, because typically at this time of year I am panicking about having to create a walk website. Now that the template for the site has been created once, it can then be used year after year. Just beautiful!!! If you want to see the website, go to: www.mmcfwalk.com


As a reminder, after Walk 2016 was over, we created this video on the event. It was a great Walk and we are planning for even greater things this year. Check out our video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j88w-0NZZ2E&feature=youtu.be

1 comment:

Margy Jost said...

Vicki, I am reading backwards, finding out website is up &'running so I will forward it to some people. I am looking forward to the day, hoping the weather works well for the event!

Seeing Mattie's cast, reading all he endured and still couldn't walk is so unfair. There are no words to explain away the horror of all that kids in treatment experience. Each child is an individual. They may have similar cancers but cancer does not define Mattie or any of the children, I knew personally. I guess this is why, you have plenty of pictures of Mattie even in treatment with his beautiful Mattie smile. Even though in your heart, you know he wasn't always smiling. I am thinking of you and your mother heart!