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

April 27, 2013

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2007. As you can see, Mattie was in one of his boxed structures that he was creating. The white plates represented wheels and I know this was a work in progress because Mattie hadn't decorated it yet with paint, crayons, or markers. That was always a telltale sign that a box was completed. Mattie also liked to have snacks near him while creating. I almost forgot about Mattie's apple butter phase until I saw this plate near him. We took Mattie to Amish country in Pennsylvania in May of 2007, and it was there that he fell in love with apple butter. We brought apple butter home with us, but Mattie liked it so much, that thankfully I was able to buy more of it at our local grocery store.


Quote of the day: One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity. ~ Albert Schweitzer

I woke up today with a horrific headache. The kind where I wasn't sure I could function at all. I have had a headache all week, but it is very frustrating to go to bed with a headache and to wake up feeling the exact same way. Almost as if I did not get any rest at all.

Later this afternoon, Peter and I went for a walk and we passed these glorious orange tulips along the way. We stopped to take a photo of them because they are Mattie's color!

Peter was invited out with a friend tonight, which I was happy about. Few people truly connect with Peter, so when they do, I am always thrilled to give him this opportunity and experience. While Peter was out, I went to visit my friend Mary, who lives in an assisted living facility. Mary is now completely mute. It makes it very, very hard to connect with her and to know what is going on in her mind. I would say that most likely the natural inclination when visiting Mary now would be to retreat and not talk. But I fight that inclination and talk, read papers to her, and try to engage her even though the engagement is one way.

After I fed her dinner, she was trying to convey to me that her legs were bothering her. Certainly I can't do much to relieve her pains, but it is in moments like this that I try to imagine myself in her position. So I took out one of the lotions I brought her and massaged her legs, arms, and neck. Though she couldn't give me feedback, her eyes were wide open and at times I could tell she was smiling. I think going back to basics when devastatingly sick is key, and the basics always involve the senses!!!! Giving touch (through massage) and smell (through fragrances, that are different from those of an institution) when sick are gifts and despite how I was feeling today, it made me happy that I could do a little something to brighten my friend's day and make her feel cared about and special.

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