Mattie Miracle 15th Anniversary Video

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 9, 2021

Friday, July 9, 2021

Friday, July 9, 2021

Tonight's picture was taken in July of 2008. Literally weeks before Mattie was diagnosed. That day we took him to Roosevelt Island, a place we all loved to walk and explore together. Mattie loved climbing the rocks and picking up sticks. We had quite a stick collection for many years. Naturally whenever I pass these rocks on the Island now, I think of this moment in time. 


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

  • Number of people diagnosed with the virus: 33,804,620
  • Number of people who died from the virus: 606,722


It was back to back conference calls today. First I had our weekly research call to work on the big grant we are applying for, and then following that I had my monthly licensure board conference call. It was at today's meeting that I had to explain to the Board staff that I will be moving from the District in August to Northern Virginia. Therefore, that means that I can no longer serve as licensure board chair. Not my rules, it is just the way licensure boards work, you serve in the jurisdiction you live in. Do you know I have served on this Board since 2003, 18 years! I practically grew up on this Board. 

It is an awful time to transition from this Board, as our Board attorney died in February of 2020, our Vice Chair just resigned, and now I am being forced to resign because of my relocation. It saddens me because the Board is another baby of mine. I am basically its institutional history. I don't claim to be irreplaceable, but I will miss the staff and the great work we have done together for the District and its residents. In fact, board staff called me later today and they are devastated about my news. They said some very touching things, that will last with me forever.

But since Mattie died, there isn't much from my former life that I really liked doing anymore. Other than my work on the licensure board. Saying good-bye today, felt like a real loss to me. I am not sure why, but this serves as a final reminder that nothing from my previous (pre-cancer) life is a part of me anymore. There is a great finality to my life as a counseling professional and how I thought my life was going to turn out. I am sure in time, I will be able to rationalize this, but for now, all I feel is sadness. I don't like change at all, and having to move, manage a home, leave behind a space I shared with Mattie, and now say good-bye to the licensure board, is all too much to absorb. 

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