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

November 1, 2017

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

This photo was taken after Mattie got back home from his School's Fall Festival in 2007. Mattie absolutely loved this Festival, because about a month into his school year (at a new school), he already had a band of friends. Mattie and his buddies hung out together at the Festival and did face painting, crafts, and the moon bounce. It was wonderful to see Mattie in his element and enjoying his new school. Since he was very hesitant, bordering on resistant to leave his preschool. Mattie's elementary school's mascot is 'the Saints,' which is why you see that painted on his face. 




Quote of the day: The whole world can become the enemy when you lose what you love. ~ Kristina McMorris


I was out and about today and came into contact with many people. The majority of whom were talking about Halloween. Again, I am not sure why I am stunned that no one was talking about the terror attack in NYC, but it caught my attention. The question is why? For the purposes of this blog, let's remove politics from this discussion. Because my interests are more focused on society being free to discuss loss, trauma, and tragedy. When we think of 9/11 or the second largest terror attack in NYC (as of yesterday), what do we typically hear coming out of people's mouths? New York is STRONG! 'New York comes back bigger and better than before.' 'We will be vigilant, so something like this doesn't happen again!' As if New York or any city is invincible. All I know is if a loved one of mine was killed yesterday for a senseless reason, I am not sure I would find such rhetoric helpful or comforting. In fact, as tonight's quote points out..... when you lose a loved one (as sane and rational as you maybe), the world does become your enemy. 

Just like with childhood cancer, we really do not want to focus upon the pervasive tragedies occurring in our cities around the Country. These tragedies aren't occurring once in a blue moon, but unfortunately on a regular basis. With their frequency and the excessive media coverage, I notice that we become complacent and are resided with the fact that this is normal. That this is how the 21st century is and we might as well go on living our lives. Certainly we want to continue on with our lives, because living in fear only makes us a victim and gives the perpetrator of such crimes power. Power to destroy all the things we hold to be true and just. But there is a fine line of moving on and forgetting. We shouldn't forget that with each one of these acts of terror, lives are taken and families are forever changed. So many went trick or treating last night and carried on with life as normal today, when the lives of several of our fellow Americans have been devastated. Terror is like cancer. It is slow growing, but can decimate communities, lives, families, friendships, and our overall way of life. Yet just like cancer, key issues are NOT addressed and confronted..... and when it comes down to it, similar to cancer, terrorists really do not care what political party you are a part of or whether you are a good and community minded person. The main goal of a terrorist, which is reminiscent of cancer, is to destroy as many people (or health cells) as possible. 

I have noticed whenever I am around people who have suffered a loss or a trauma, they find it easy to talk to me. While others are running the other way, I am walking toward the issue. Forward because it is only when we confront the feelings we are left with from cancer or any kind of trauma, are we able to find a way to carry on, find meaning in our lives, and re-engage with the world. We are really missing something by not feeling comfort to talk about the sadness, the unhappy aspects of life, and connect with others around these feelings. It is those emotional connections that enable us to be stronger not only as individuals but as a society.  


I do not spend much time of Facebook. For many reasons, but with Mattie Miracle's candy drive under way, it  brings me to social media. But what is posted all over Facebook are family photos of Halloween. It is hard to see Mattie's friends thriving and moving forward, whereas for Peter and me, I feel like we are stuck in time. Time when Mattie was 7. 

The photos you see were pumpkins one of Mattie's nurses posted on Facebook. The nurses decorated the unit for the children and families in the hospital. Very creative, no?

Seeing decorations in a hospital is important. It orients you to time and date. Otherwise, you really do forget what time of day it is, and the season!
Mattie would have loved the Nemo clown fish and the Halloween cat!

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