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 15, 2020

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Tuesday, September 15, 2020 -- Mattie died 572 weeks ago today. 

Tonight's picture was taken in September of 2007. Mattie was 5 years old and with his cousins in Boston. I honestly have NO idea why Peter was in Boston at that time of year. I can't even recall where I was. I know Peter took Mattie to Boston in September of 2005, when I was home studying for my licensure exam. But this photo escapes me, so much so, that I have no context around it. Which is unusual for me, because I normally can describe every photo I have of Mattie. What I know for certain (and can see in the photo) was that Mattie wanted ONLY vanilla ice cream! Some things are a given!



Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins

  • number of people diagnosed with the virus: 6,601,337
  • number of people who died from the virus: 195,501


This photo was featured in the Washington Post. It shows a very unique SUN over the Washington Monument. In fact, the sun is muted! Why? Because of the brush fires on the West Coast. A neighbor told us this today, and I thought that couldn't be possible. But apparently the smoke from California and Oregon is in our upper atmosphere (20,000 feet up) thereby impacting the brilliance of our sunshine. 

As of late Monday, California’s fires have burned at least 3.2 million acres, an area equivalent to the size of Connecticut. This has sent unfathomable amounts of burned material into the atmosphere. My mom has lung sensitivities and today she had to see her doctor because she was coughing up blood. Thankfully she was given an x-ray and examined and is fine. But what isn't fine in the quality of the air she is breathing. 


Mid-morning, we took Sunny out for a 3 mile walk on Roosevelt Island. It was a beautiful fall day and Sunny's energy and stamina have returned. His knee surgery was a success, and with that, losing some weight, and cooler weather, he is a happy camper. Eager for his walks. 
Sunny was very excited by all the deer on the Island. He was following tracks and scents! Of course we never go anywhere without someone stopping to talk about the beauty of Sunny. He is a beauty and a my gentle giant. 
The deer were everywhere this morning! They ironically aren't intimidated by us, but Sunny is a different story. 
Cattails against the fall sky. 
Wild flowers were everywhere. Our walk was the perfect escape for today. 
Wild jasmine on the Island, which is intoxicating. 
The white heron were also enjoying the Island. 
Not to mention a great blue heron which flew in for a landing on the Island. The Island means a lot to us, and was there for us at different time points in our life. It was there when we were raising Mattie. It was our weekend escape, and a place Mattie loved to float and race his motorized toy boats. After Mattie died, the Island became a refuge to reconnect with nature as we desperately tried to work through the havoc in our minds and hearts. Now it remains our refuge during COVID, it continues to serve as a place of peace to re-connect with Mattie, and let's not forget a place for Sunny to explore and have an adventure in the woods. 

1 comment:

Cheryl said...

I'm very sorry about your mom's breathing issues. I've been wondering how things were going for them.

I love the pictures on the island and am so glad Sunny is doing so much better. It's a tad hazy in Missouri today too. Thank you for continuing to share your lives with us!