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

July 14, 2018

Saturday, July 14, 2018

Saturday, July 14, 2018

Tonight's picture was taken in July of 2008. Mattie was six years old and standing right by a lotus bloom at the DC Aquatic Garden. We would visit this Garden every July, in order to see the lotus flowers. Which are an incredible sight, and a must see when in DC during the summer! 



Quote of the day: Every love story is beautiful but ours is my favorite. — Unknown


In light of the fact that tomorrow is our 23rd wedding anniversary, I decided to post this photo. What is this photo of? Well it is a Llardo of a wedding couple. Not just any Llardo, but the one that was the cake topper on our wedding cake. 

If you look closely at the bride, you will notice she is missing a left hand. Which is why I affectionately refer to this piece as "Lefty." When I was recently in California, helping my parents move, I came across Lefty wrapped in bubble packing material within a garage cabinet. As soon as I saw it, I knew immediately the significance of this Llardo. Naturally I brought this figurine home and we will display it as soon as it is all glued. Lefty isn't only missing a hand, but the groom was missing a head. He has been put back together and soon we will be gluing back Lefty's hand. 

This figurine actually broke before our wedding. Given its less than perfect condition, we could have decided not to use it on our wedding cake or to replace it with another Llardo. But even back then I had the where with all to know that Lefty would be a great story to tell one day. This broken figurine is actually quite symbolic of life. Life isn't perfect, nor is it always pretty. But despite things happening you keep standing and in this case, continue to move forward together. Now in retrospect, this was the perfect cake topper for us. Because it does capture the essence of our relationship and marriage. 

Losing a child to cancer can destroy many individuals and couples. Though Peter and I have high and low moments as individuals, we are able to manage them together as a couple. I believe this is possible since we started out as friends in college. We had known each other a long time before having Mattie, and I attribute time and our respect for each other as the key contributors to enduring the impossible.... Mattie's death. 

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