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

July 12, 2011

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Tuesday, July 12, 2011 -- Mattie died 96 weeks ago today.

Tonight's picture was taken in June of 2007 in Lancaster, PA. We took Mattie to the hotel's restaurant for breakfast and the chef took a liking to him. Needless to say, Mattie left breakfast with his OWN chef hat. He thought that was pretty special and as you can see he was beaming!

Quote of the day: Even hundredfold grief is divisible by love.  ~ Jareb Teague

Peter and I started our day off by using skype to communicate. It was nice to have a live electronic chat and to find out how he was doing.

I spent part of the morning in Ann's garden. To my surprise I was surrounded by butterflies and goldfinches. To me these were special sightings despite the fact that it felt like it was over 100 degrees outside! 

I had the opportunity to have lunch and spend several hours today with Margaret. Mattie's first preschool teacher and my friend. Margaret and I met in 2005 and though she was Mattie's teacher, I took an instant liking to her. She understood Mattie and appreciated him. In fact, Margaret was the first person to tell me Mattie was artistic. That truly did not register with me at the time, until later on in his development. Six years later, Margaret and I are still friends, a friendship created by my Mattie. When I reflect on tonight's quote, I have to say I agree with its sentiments. Grief and the loss of a child are unbearable, but experiencing the love and understanding of a friend does help in indescribable ways. We all look for acceptance, support, and to be understood. Granted understanding my level of feelings and pain isn't always an easy task, but Margaret was keeping up with me today and helped to normalize many of my concerns and feelings of sadness. In many ways, someone's time, listening ear, and desire to connect with me are probably the best gifts I can receive. 

This evening, I spent several hours with Mary, Ann's mom. Mary is now visited nightly by a fellow resident, Catherine. I am very fond of Catherine and I am so happy that Mary has a floormate that checks in on her and cares about her. In addition, one of Catherine's friends came back from the hospital last night and Catherine is thrilled to have her friend back. I saw her friend in the hallway today and made a big fuss over seeing her and welcomed her back. I told her that we all missed her and we were happy she returned to the assisted living facility. My comment made his lady beam with happiness. Which brings me back to my original point in tonight's blog. We all have the desire to be accepted and really considered important in someone else's eyes. In so many ways, Mattie was the person who viewed me as IMPORTANT and necessary, and now that this connection has been severed it seems to compound the loss.

I end tonight's posting with a message from Mattie's oncologist and our friend. Kristen wrote, "Thinking of you this Tuesday and everyday."

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