Tonight's picture was taken in May of 2006. Mattie and Peter went to buy a big boy bicycle with training wheels for Mattie. As you can see Mattie was excited and really didn't want to be posing for a photo. Instead he wanted Peter to be cracking open the box and assembling the bicycle.
Quote of the day: I only miss you when I'm breathing. ~ Jason Derulo
About a year or so ago, I was talking to my friend Ilona at our Walk. Like me, Ilona's only child died from cancer. She comes to our Walk every year, and in fact, after we met in July of 2013, we have been text messaging each other daily. This July will be four years, believe it or not of writing to each other.
Mattie Miracle's Walk is a fun event, but for myself and Ilona, it holds sadness. Mainly because we know that the event exists because our children do not. Being able to verbalize this with Ilona was important because it made me feel more comfortable about doing something about that feeling at the event. I have been very conditioned by our support community to shy away from depicting the reality of cancer at our Walk. Because it can be a daunting sight for young eyes in attendance.
Last night, I talked to Peter about an idea I have wanted to execute on for two years. But just didn't. I didn't because I wasn't sure how it would be received at our event, since the majority of attendees are families who do not have personal experience with childhood cancer. Several years ago I did a Faces of Hope campaign, which featured the faces of childhood cancer survivors. These posters are at our event EVERY year, and attendees love them and even pose for pictures with them. So this year I am happy to report that we will be adding to these wonderful posters with a series we call.... Our Forever Heroes. Featuring the faces of children like Mattie who lost their cancer battle. These children are NOT to be forgotten, and I feel it is important for attendees to know that childhood cancer is serious and the medicine doesn't cut it for many of our children.
Peter sent out the message below on Facebook today. Peter has over 3,000 friends on Facebook, so I knew his message would be seen. The response we are getting to the request below has been incredible! We have about 40 names so far! Parents are grateful, thankful, and pleased that someone is taking an interest in their child and that there is an event in which their child can be featured. I am very happy by this response, a response which I somewhat predicted as I know how I feel about Mattie. Anytime someone asks about him, or wants to recognize him in some way.... It's THRILLING!
PETER'S FACEBOOK POST.....................................
As you may know, our foundation, the Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation, has an annual awareness walk and festival each year. One of the primary objectives of this event is to build awareness in the general public about childhood cancer, and that on average, 1 in 5 children dies from these diseases, like our son Mattie.
We do not want our children to go forgotten, so we would like to make up posters of as many children as we can who have passed away from these awful diseases. We would only use them for the Forever Heroes campaign and treat them only with the utmost respect.
If you are willing and open to sharing your child with us, then please send me a PM or email me at pbrown@mattiemiracle.com with the following:
1. Name of your child
2. Diagnosis
3. Age at which they passed away
4. Five words to describe them
5. A picture of your child
Again, I know this is a very sensitive and private this to request. Having lost my own child, I understand that some may be comfortable doing so and some may not. Please know we only intend to help spread the word that 80% survival is just not good enough, especially for our children who have died from the disease. Thank you for your consideration of this.
Peter
1 comment:
Vicki,
Your idea was brilliant and very needed! Childhood Cancer needs all the real faces of this horrific disease. The faces of survivors is one part. The faces of the children who died are important too. For many reason, showing these heroes, demonstrates how far we still need to go! Having these pictures gives voice to many needs of Children in treatment that still are not met.
Looking at each picture is a powerful punch to the gut. All of these children lived, had a life before Cancer and in an instant, their life and that of their family was changed forever just like the lives of the survivors
Mattie Miracle is about getting the psychosocia support care to match the medical care. I can't think of a better way to highlight this need that to have photos of children who died with pictures of children who survived. This is giving the whole picture!!!
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