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

December 26, 2021

Sunday, December 26, 2021

Sunday, December 26, 2021

Tonight's picture was taken in the beginning of December (2002), during our first snowfall. That year I wanted our holiday card to be special..... as this was our first Christmas with Mattie. I literally dressed him in a Santa suit and brought him out onto our deck with snow in the background. We took a whole series of photos that day, but this was the one which made it onto our card!


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

  • Number of people diagnosed with the virus: 52,176,102
  • Number of people who died from the virus: 816,554



On Christmas, Charlotte's (our five year old god daughter) parents snapped a photo of us by the Christmas tree. How do I feel about the fact that Charlotte is close to the age when Mattie was diagnosed with cancer? I am certainly aware of it. Perhaps because of the gender difference I do not get emotionally upset around Charlotte. She instead brought life to our holiday table and it is fun to see the world through the eyes of a five year old.  
I forgot to post this yesterday, but this was our Christmas buffet...

organic turkey
homemade stuffing 
sweet potato souffle
cranberry sauce
carrots
string beans
and a coconut layer cake for dessert
My friend, Ilona, made me a Mattie Miracle ornament to hang on my tree. Ironically I distributed these ornaments to my volunteers during the Foundation's tenth anniversary (2019), but did not keep an ornament for myself. Most likely because back then I did not decorate for Christmas. So I am honored to have this orange ornament near Mattie's photo on our tree. 
Before I left California one of my dad's caregivers gave me a house warming gift. A furry type rug. I placed that rug near a window and sure enough Indie found it!
While grocery shopping this week, I came across red and white tulips. Typically I only decorate with these flowers in the spring, but something about them reminded me of a candy cane! So they became my floral display in our front hallway for Christmas. 

Despite struggling with a sinus infection (like an anniversary I get one every December or January, so I know the symptoms well), I am still working, helping my mom unpack and doing tasks and chores. But I admit I am dragging and I also understand that if I stop functioning the whole process in my house would come to a screeching halt. So I do get my reality and I am focused on slowing down in order to recover. 

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