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

June 2, 2012

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Saturday, June 2, 2012


Tonight's picture was taken in June of 2007. Mattie was five years old and pictured with two of his favorite things... Legos and Scooby Doo (on his shirt). Back then our whole home was filled with Legos, Legos in bins, Lego structures already built and even Lego trains. As I look at this picture tonight, I focused in on Mattie's arms and legs. The ironic thing about this is that Mattie's arms and legs look just like mine. I knew we looked alike, but I never really stopped to think about his limbs. We had a very similar body type, personality, and way of interacting with people. It is hard to accept Mattie not in our lives and also realize that this special being that looked so much like me is missing.


Quote of the day: Far away in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see the beauty, believe in them and try to follow where they lead. ~ Louisa May Alcott



This morning while we were awaiting our friends to arrive at Ellen's beach house, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Charlotte. Charlotte and I chatted about various things and then she taught me a card game called "spit." Playing cards is not my forte, but I learned while raising Mattie the art of playing games. Not only playing, but artfully losing.

I had the opportunity to spend time today not only with Ellen's family, but with my friend Christine and her family. Christine's son, Campbell was a close friend of Mattie's. In many ways it is surreal to see Charlotte and Campbell growing up and interacting, and yet I know very well that a part of their trio is now missing. This reality can be hard to understand and at times I simply deem it unfair. Unfair of course to Mattie since he suffered a horrible diagnosis and death, and also unfair to us since we have been robbed of being his parent and we also must continue living with these memories.

This afternoon, we all went down to the beach together and spent close to three hours there. The kids loved the sand, water, riding the waves, and playing beach kick ball. When I was their age, I loved kick ball, but I never played it in the sand. It is much harder that way! I played on a team with Charlotte and Livi (Campbell's sister) and we played against the three dads (Jeff, Charlotte's dad; James, Livi's dad; and of course Peter). Naturally if the dads wanted to they could have easily beat us, but they understood that wasn't an option! Needless to say we girls won, and we certainly got a work out to achieve this win!

As Christine and I discussed tonight, it is hard for me at times to balance the fine line between wanting to be engaged with other moms I knew and listening to their stories about their children and school, and needing space from this reality. I naturally can't bury my head in the sand and ask moms to deny the fact that they have children. I know that this all consuming role defines most women. Yet these conversations can be awkward for me, since I no longer share these day to day tasks, responsibilities, challenges, and joys. Not that I expect someone who is not in my shoes to get what I am living with, but it is always very special for me, when I find that a friend wants to understand, and isn't afraid to ask questions or dialogue about it with me. Empathy is indeed a powerful force and a gift to receive from another person.

On Sunday, Peter and I will pack up and head back home. I arrived at the beach a week ago, frazzled, very sick, and exhausted. I am now on the mend, but still tired and fragile.

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