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

October 30, 2017

Monday, October 30, 2017

Monday, October 30, 2017

Tonight's picture was taken in October of 2006. This happens to be one of my favorite photos of Mattie and me. I think you can see we looked a lot alike from our eyes to our smiles! That weekend we took Mattie to a fall festival. Which was a typical occurrence for us to ring in the change of season. As Mattie grew older, he loved the whole experience. Especially the pumpkin picking, the slides, and all the activities. 



Quote of the day: Fire in the heart sends smoke into the head.German Proverb


I had a meeting today which made me upset. I am not getting into the specifics of it here, as I have found sometimes my words are read and taken out of context. However, when I found this German proverb tonight, I knew it captured exactly how I felt. Since Mattie died, I have two speeds...... very on and very off. I rarely have energy levels and moods that are gray or in between. However, it is very easy for me to get angry now. When you think of anger, you may think it arises over someone doing something to me or as is typical with someone who is angry they will lash out and explode. In my case, the fire starts in my head!

With me, none of these things about anger apply. Most people can't tell when I am angry, unless you know me well. However, what makes me angry is not hurtful things said to me or about me. What gets me furious is a total misunderstanding of the kind of support children with cancer and their families need. 

I have a lot of experience working with the health care profession, everyone from doctors to psychosocial professionals. Unfortunately across the board (it isn't field/training specific), many think they understand the psychological and emotional toll of childhood cancer and how best to meet these needs, but in all reality, they fall short. The number one reason of course is because they are looking at the issue with their clinical lens. They haven't lived the experience and in this case, I think having personal insights of having to fear for the life of your child and live long term in a hospital makes a huge difference. Which is why I am always, always perplexed with personnel and administrators who seem to think they know how to provide optimal quality of care, without truly seeking input and feedback from the consumer themselves! 

Goodness gracious..... it has been 8 years since Mattie died and I still have this internal anger. I am not sure this is something that will ever go away! I imagine it won't until I see the health care system changing. Until psychosocial care is  fully embraced and other families don't have a Mattie, Vicki, and Peter experience! Yet like the government, this massive change will occur at glacier speed. So in the mean time, I need to keep on speaking up. It is just the way it has to be, no matter how uncomfortable and exhausting it is!

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