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

November 19, 2013

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Tuesday, November 19, 2013 -- Mattie died 218 weeks ago today.

Tonight's picture was taken in November of 2008. I do not typically post photos like this because they aren't pleasant to look at. However, this is the reality of osteosarcoma. Osteo, in my opinion, is a horrible cancer that can easily destroy the body, mind, and spirit. This was what Mattie looked like a day after his second limb salvaging surgery. Practically every part of Mattie was wrapped up and managing the pain was a true test. If the bandaging and pain weren't hard enough to see and experience, then add into this all the tubes, drains, and other IVs that were going in or out of Mattie. If we had any doubt of his super human strength, I think this photo sets things straight.


Quote of the day: Children see magic because they look for it. ~ Christopher Moore


This summer Dr. Shad at Georgetown University Hospital reached out to me and asked whether it would be okay for a couple who had just lost their only child to contact me. Since our first connection together, Ilona and I have become buddies in grief. Ilona and her husband Attila, established the Chris Lantos Foundation in honor of their 12 year old son who died from Leukemia in June. One of the things Chris loved was his iPad. It helped him manage the isolation and the stresses of coping with cancer. In Chris' memory, his parents raise money to give iPads to children battling cancer. In fact, in September through their Smoothiefest they raised over $10,000 to fund this electronic psychosocial support.

Mattie Miracle works behind the scenes to support the Chris Lantos Foundation and we were honored to be included today in the distribution of iPads to two children at Georgetown University Hospital.

The first child we met is five year old, Lemar. Lemar's primary language is Farsi, yet by visiting the clinic, he is learning English. This fellow is precious. The BEST hugger!!! I got a hug today which I won't forget anytime soon. The last five year old who hugged me this way was my Mattie. So to me, the hug was my gift! Lemar was THRILLED to receive an iPad and felt very special being the center of all of our attention. That too was priceless to observe.

The second iPad recipient today was Jamal. Jamal is a seventh grader and there was a noticeable difference between Lemar and Jamal. I attribute this to the simple fact that Jamal is a teenager who is quite cognizant of his disease and how some children do not survive their battle. However just like Lemar, Jamal was appreciative of receiving his own iPad and being able to connect with the outside world whenever he wants!

This dynamic group of professionals all work in the pediatric Lombardi Clinic. From left to right are: Janelle (one of Mattie's Hem/Onc nurses), Miki (one of Mattie's Hem/Onc nurses), Kelly (a social worker), Katie (an art therapist), Mary (head social worker), and Jan (nurse practitioner). These ladies all supported the Smoothiefest on September 30th and decided to wear their t-shirts in clinic today because they support the work that we do for children and their families.

Occasionally on the blog I refer to the painted clinic ceiling tiles. Look at the ceiling in the photo above. These are the tiles I am referring to. Mattie painted several tiles in clinic: a rainbow tile with his friend Maya, a haunted house, a HUGE roach, and Scooby Doo (a tile Mattie created with Peter and I shortly after diagnosis). For me the ceiling holds many memories as does the space and the staff. The ironic part is I have lived most of my life OUTSIDE of a hospital setting. I only lived in a hospital for 15 months of my life (while Mattie underwent treatment), yet I suppose the level of intensity and the nature of why I was there makes that time period seem much longer. In many ways I feel more comfortable inside of Georgetown rather than outside the Hospital. It is within the walls of Georgetown that people saw my daily living conditions 24/7, they saw what Mattie endured, and walked that journey with us directly. I don't need to explain Mattie's battle to them and I don't have to explain my grief either. It is just understood! 

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