Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 -- Mattie died 454 weeks ago today.

Tonight's picture was taken on June 15, 2009. We were in the pre-op area of the hospital, as Mattie waited to be taken back to an operating room for his sternotomy. A procedure that was to remove multiple tumors from his lungs. Peter was dressed up like this because he was going to escort Mattie and the team to the OR. This enabled Mattie to be one of us until he was unconscious. Only one of us could go with Mattie, and it was Peter who always went. However, post-op both of us always went to the PACU (post anesthesia care unit) because literally it took both of us to manage Mattie's screaming and the pain. You may notice a sign taped to Mattie's hospital gown. On it, it said, "Dr. Chahine, Give us a Mattie Miracle." It was our cute message to Mattie's thoracic surgeon, who was a LOVELY, competent and compassionate doctor.  


Quote of the day: Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Tonight's posting features the raffle at our Mattie Miracle Walk! In many ways the raffle is an event within an event. It takes months of planning and coordination, on top of all the other Walk activities. Thankfully I have worked with my friend, Carolyn, for nine years on the raffle. So I am not doing this alone. But the raffle entails soliciting businesses for raffle merchandise, staging all these items and wrapping them, and of course selling tickets on-line and in person. This year we had 40 businesses donate to our raffle, and currently I am working on gift in kind letters to each of these contributors. We raffled off 10 baskets this year and in total, the raffle generated $8,000 toward our $95,000 outcome!

This was a first for us. We had items this year that were donated to us and NONE of them were a good  fit for our themed baskets. So Carolyn suggested we do a silent auction of these three items at the Walk. It turned out to work wonderfully, as we got $75 or more for each of the footballs. 

The Raffle is always a popular tent at the Walk. My goal is to make the items look as enticing as possible to draw people into the tent! 

The lady in orange is Dr. Shad. She was one of Mattie's doctors and is now the chief of pediatrics at Children's Hospital at Sinai, Baltimore, MD. In a few weeks we will be meeting with Dr. Shad, the Hospital president, and other administrators for a $40,000 check signing presentation. As we plan to pay the salary of a child life specialist at Sinai. 

Peter always helps Carolyn announce the raffle winners. This picture is a good one, because it features Peter, Ellie (Carolyn's daughter, a classmate of Mattie's, and a loyal volunteer), and Joe (from TeraThink -- our largest corporate sponsor since 2011). 

One of the winners of our silent auction item.... a laser signed Redskins Football from 2017. 

This is Peter and me with my cousin, Maria. Maria and her husband came all the way from Michigan to attend this year's Walk. Maria won the iPad raffle basket! 

The winner of the Lego raffle basket was Michaela, Eric, and James. Michaela is the daughter of Debbi. Who is Debbi? Debbi was Mattie's sedation nurse and now our friend. For the past two years, Debbi and her family have come to our Walk. Eric (Debbi's younger grandson) couldn't do enough to help me at the Walk this year. He is extremely efficient and helpful, that I told Debbi we are making him an official volunteer next year!