Monday, September 19, 2011

Monday, September 19, 2011

Tonight's picture was taken in September of 2008. Peter's parents gave Mattie this large puzzle made out of foam pieces. Mattie loved it and once he assembled it, he sat right on top of it. I still recall telling Mattie that he was sitting on top of the world. This is another favorite picture of mine because despite Mattie's cancer, pain, and how awful he was feeling, he still had a magnificent smile that could light up any room.


Childhood Cancer Fact of the Day: Most drugs for childhood cancer treatments are over 20 years old; only one new drug (Clofarabine) has been FDA approved in the last decade (MD Anderson Cancer Center).

I began my day with a wonderful email that I received from my friend, Charlie. She sent me a video called the Boatlift, An Untold Tale of 9/11 Resilience. I copied the video link below so you could see it for yourself. It is a day that none of us should ever forget, but what captured me about the video is how inspiring everyday people can be. This video captures the ordinary doing extraordinary things! I think you will agree after seeing this, that these boat captains should be considered 9/11 heroes. I was deeply moved by this video and cried throughout it because when I hear and see people treating others with kindness and compassion, it touches my heart. Like the New York City community came together during a horrific crisis, in my own world, Mattie's community did the same for Peter and I. I saw people who did not know each other or even have anything in common unite forces to help Mattie battling cancer. Watching people come together, work together, put aside their differences, and truly do the right thing is a force I have been lucky enough to experience. Though Mattie's battle is long past us, the feeling and love we received from Team Mattie will forever remain inside of me. I forget nothing, as I imagine neither do the men, women, and children rescued by boats on 9/11.

The BOATLIFT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18lsxFcDrjo

Though I am in Los Angeles, I am have been very connected to Washington, DC! Thank goodness for my trusty Blackberry, because thanks to it I can be away and not skip a beat. On Thursday, I will have exciting news to share with you regarding the Foundation. So stay tuned! Not to disappoint my readers, guess what I saw today?!!! Yes many more LA Cappuccinos! I literally saw over 10 deer, but I did not have my camera with me. At one point a baby deer was in the middle of the road, and out of no where, its mom jumped in the road to stop traffic and move her baby along. An absolutely precious sight!

I went out to lunch with my parents. We went back to the restaurant in the hills that I described last week. While my dad was talking to me, out of the corner of my eye I saw something I am NOT accustomed to seeing. It was a coyote! So I grabbed my camera and tried to photograph him. My parents live in the hills, yet they are very close to the city. Which is what makes seeing all this wildlife so fascinating!

My mom and I had a very active day. We began by doing our walking routine and then later in the afternoon I joined her two hour line dancing class. Her class is unlike any sort of line dancing I have ever done. Most of the people in her class are long term students and they know many of the dances. Therefore, the teacher leads but isn't teaching. So today I was tossed into a class, that was going a mile a minute, not knowing any of the steps. Most new comers would have given up after a few minutes, because it was frustrating and at times humiliating. But I continued at it. Typically I can learn dance routines rather quickly, but there was something about these routines which confused me to no end. It was like my brain wasn't functioning tonight, and everything I was seeing was an absolute jumble. I couldn't concentrate and this wasn't helping my migraine headache. I had a greater sympathy for those with learning and processing disorders, because this evening, I truly felt I was developing one. One in which I never had before. There are MANY side effects from surviving Mattie's cancer and concentration is definitely one of them. I used to be the kind of person who could read anywhere, I could read with noise all around me, and people talking to me at the same time. I can no longer do that. In fact, unless I am in absolute quiet, I can't read. I can technically read the words, but they don't make sense to me unless I really concentrate.

At the end of the day, as we were driving home, we saw a beautiful LA Sunset. It almost looked like the sky was a glow.