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

March 14, 2013

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Thursday, March 14, 2013


Tonight's picture was taken on March 7, 2007. Mattie was almost five years old and as you can see he was enjoying the spring snow fall. Mattie made little snow castles that day and with his stone collection decided to decorate each castle.



Quote of the day: People are like stained glass windows: They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within. ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross



At 2am this morning, there was an extremely loud noise that woke me up. It woke me up out of a deep sleep, and therefore that was the end of sleeping for the night. In addition to the loud noise, I also heard a man screaming! Not a great sound at 2am!!! At first I thought the sound was lightning and thunder. But I heard NO rain outside. Peter got up and looked outside our window and saw that a car crashed and three men were involved. Two were trying to walk away from the car, and the third was trapped in the car. Needless to say police, fire trucks, and paramedics responded to this horrible accident. So this is the start of our day. Unfortunately it did not get any better.

I went to zumba today and was talking to one of my classmates. This woman and I both suffer from chronic pain. Different types but none the less daily issues. We commiserated with each other, because we know that people can't see our pain and therefore at times think we are exaggerating. There are NO physical signs, yet we know how we feel and we also know what great strength it takes to get out of bed and function. I am pretty sure that some of the pain I deal with on a regular basis would send the typical person over the edge. As my friend Karen says, she would be hitting something if she had to contend with daily headaches. That is only one of my various pains. Needless to say it was helpful to chat with a fellow sufferer, it just makes you feel understood.

The other highlight of my day was meeting with my friend Margaret. Margaret was Mattie's first preschool teacher. As I say to Margaret all the time..... in 2005, Mattie found a wonderful teacher and I made a wonderful friend. Margaret and I instantly became friends that year. We have a lot in common, we can talk for hours with each other, and when we are together we simply have fun. Margaret is the type of person that Elisabeth Kubler-Ross' quote is referring to. She has a light that shines from within and she came into my life when I really needed positive support, guidance, and direction with Mattie's development and education. It was within Margaret's classroom that Mattie became socially secure, learned to be a friend, and truly blossomed. Mattie brought Margaret and I together, and it was within her classroom that Mattie was nicknamed "Mattie Moon." Many of us who look at the moon now think of Mattie, but you should know that this symbol was first attached to Mattie in Margaret's classroom.

I haven't wanted to face the reality of Patches. Patches is unable to eat anything, can hardly drink water, and now her nasal passages are becoming blocked. She is looking very frail and is staying super close to us. She practically sleeps on top of me at night. Peter and I realize that we have to make a decision about Patches because we do not want to see her suffering or declining so rapidly that she will be in terrible pain. At the moment, I can't think of our home without Nurse Patches. She has been an integral part of our lives and she has given us something to focus upon and nurture.
 

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