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

September 7, 2019

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Saturday, September 7, 2019

This photo was taken on August 10, 2009. About a month before Mattie died. At this point, we knew Mattie's condition was terminal and the goal was to try to make Mattie as comfortable as possible. A friend dropped off a horn for Mattie and by his side was the albino boa constrictor stuffed animal, Sunshine. Sunshine was given to Mattie by his friend in cancer, Jocelyn. Jocelyn had the same type of cancer Mattie had and despite their age difference, they got along beautifully. Sunshine meant a lot to Mattie, and the snake remains in Mattie's room even today. But from this photo you can tell that Mattie was neither happy or feeling good. 

Quote of the day: The life of the dead is placed in the heart of the living.~  Cicero

I got up early for a Saturday, in order to see the parade going down our street in honor of the Kennedy Center's expansion. I can safely say that in all the years I have lived here, I have never seen my particular neighborhood shut down for a parade. Streets were blocked with police and snow plows. Fortunately, we had a bird's eye view from our commons area and Sunny was with us too! 

The three smaller white buildings, are the additions to the Kennedy Center. In fact the Center is having 16 days of events, free to the public. The new addition includes:

  • Three soaring pavilions featuring floor-to-ceiling windows.
  • Eleven highly flexible spaces which will be used for the creation of art, performances, events, classes, and more.
  • An outdoor stage and video wall, which will host concerts and film screenings.
  •  A “green roof” and 130,000 square feet of landscaping and gardens, including a 35-tree ginkgo grove, walking paths, and lawns.
  • A casual arts cafĂ© that invites socializing and “dwell time” outside of regular performance activities.
  • A connection—by way of a new pedestrian bridge spanning Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway—to the National Mall and other presidential memorials


Along the parade route, they were giving out balloons. I know Mattie would have insisted on getting a balloon if he were with us. As you can see Mattie will always be 7 years old in my mind, NOT 17 (his biological age if he were alive today). The balloons read... The Future is now! 

I have never seen this street blocked to vehicular traffic. Today was a first. 
We even saw the mayor, Muriel Bowser (in a striped jacket), out and about. 
A float of performers.
















I would like to say that today was a normal day for us. But frankly weekends and normal do not go together. On top of that, we are well aware of tomorrow being the tenth anniversary of Mattie's death. There never seems to be the right way to acknowledge and absorb such a horrible day. Nonetheless, we are both in a funk and at times today we took it out on the other one. So when this happens we know we have to regroup. 

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