Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2009. Mattie was home between hospital treatments and that day we worked hard on building a suspension bridge out of boxes and popsicle sticks. When we took Mattie to New York City for his experimental treatment, he got to see the George Washington Bridge. The bridge made an impression on him. Mattie's creativity was endless and the energy and adventure he brought to my life is greatly missed.
Quote of the day: The very first Easter taught us this: that life never ends and love never dies. ~ Kate McGahan
This morning, I woke up to an email in my inbox from my friend Susan. She lives in Oregon and is a blog reader. Susan has been on this journey with me from the beginning. After reading last night's blog, Susan started doing some research in search of Chris, the president of the Georgetown University chemistry club (well back in 2008/2009). Mattie absolutely loved Chris and the chemistry club. In fact, Mattie let few to no other volunteers in his hospital room. Yet when Mattie knew Chris was in the pediatric units, Mattie made sure he saw Chris. I think Mattie loved to learn and was intrigued by hands on experiments. Chris' presentations were always educational but also fascinating and entertaining. Right up Mattie's alley. The beauty of the chemistry club, was on those Fridays, I got to see Mattie the child, not Mattie the child with cancer. The club provided such positive diversions for us and memories that I will have forever. The club is part of Mattie's legacy.
In any case, Susan sent me an article in my inbox today featuring a man named Chris. The article outlined that this Chris went to Georgetown, got his undergraduate degree in biochemistry and was in the process of becoming a medical doctor. In addition, the article highlighted this person's ingenuity and contributions to the field. After reading this article, I said to myself.... THIS HAS TO BE THE SAME CHRIS THAT I KNEW. I typically assess people very accurately, and back then, I could tell that Chris was going to go far. As he wasn't only bright, he was compassionate. A beautiful and much need combination in the medical field.
So thanks to Susan's help, I was able to send a linked in message to the Chris in this article and also tracked down Chris' email. Of course it was possible that this wasn't the same Chris. But I do not believe in coincidences. Sure enough, I have now tracked down the real Chris (THANK YOU SUSAN!), as Chris responded and definitely remembered Mattie. I am thrilled to be reconnected with Chris and to have the opportunity to tell him what a huge difference he made in our lives. A lasting one, as it is now 15 years later, but still those moments seem like yesterday.
As many of you know, I am very assertive about putting complaints in writing and to advocate when there are injustices. However, the opposite is also true. When kindness and going above and beyond are experienced by me, I feel compelled to let the other person know they have made a difference in my life. I view this reconnection as an Easter Miracle.
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