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

August 6, 2011

Friday, August 5, 2011

Friday, August 5, 2011

Tonight's picture was taken in August of 2006. As you can see Mattie was proudly wearing his Outer Banks, NC t-shirt and seemed so happy. Mattie loved his trips to the beach, but I would say he loved trips in general. Mattie enjoyed the thrill of seeing new things and adventure. However, no matter where Mattie went he was always surrounded by cars, trucks, and trains. Anything moveable!


Quote of the day: Time heals old pain, while it creates new ones. ~ Proverb

We are safely in Seattle. It was a very long travel day with our flight being delayed for over two hours. Thankfully the flight was smooth and uneventful, however, I was totally out of it since I began taking Dramamine. The flight was five and a half hours long, and I would say I couldn’t keep my head up for at least five hours of the flight. I rarely sleep on a plane, so I know that Dramamine was the culprit. As I said to Peter, I rather feel drugged than motion sick any day.


Along our journey into Washington State, I handed Peter the camera to take some pictures outside the plane’s window. Up in the air, things were so clear and sunny and we had amazing views of Mount St. Helen’s and Mt. Rainier. Since I wasn’t sure we would see either of these sights on land, I am happy Peter captured them in the air. I hope you enjoy them too!
















When we landed in Seattle, we took a shuttle bus to the hotel. We rode the bus with other cruise passengers and traded travel stories of the day. One couple, who had to be around our age, began chatting with us and said they had never been on a cruise before, because they were always childrearing. We acknowledged that but did not say much else. She then turned to me and said that I didn’t seem excited to be going on a cruise. She was waiting for a response to her comment. It took great strength and fortitude not to want to bop her on the head. She did not know me and yet was judging me by her observations. I held my tongue and did not give her the mouthful that I could have easily given her. Instead, I told her we were simply tired from the day’s travels. After all, giving her a lesson in pediatric cancer and loss didn’t seem exactly right or timely. Yet I think today’s interaction illustrates that it is easy to misjudge a person and not to truly understand the full magnitude of what someone else is living and going through. After Mattie’s death, I do make a conscious effort to understand and imagine what others may be going through that would explain the behaviors I am seeing.

We met up with my parents and had dinner by the water. We saw all sorts of ships passing by and had a chance to chat up with each other. We ended the evening by seeing the famous Seattle Space Needle which was just minutes from the restaurant.

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