Mattie Miracle 15th Anniversary Video

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 15, 2014

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Tuesday , April 15, 2014 -- Mattie died 240 weeks ago today.

Tonight's picture was taken in May of 2006. I honestly can't recall what Mattie was doing under his blanket in the middle of the day, in his clothes no less. I know he WASN'T resting! That was UNHEARD of in our household. NO NAPPING, Mattie just wasn't hard wired for it. Even as a baby. I imagine he was goofing around, playing, and most likely enjoying just being in a big boy bed. I transitioned Mattie to a bed late. Well late in comparison to his peers, who had siblings. Mattie was an active little person, who spent very little time sleeping and the notion of transitioning him to a bed too soon, did not seem productive. It took us a long time to teach Mattie the art of sleeping, but like everything else, when he was ready to learn something, there was no stopping him. He got it right away.  


Quote of the day: For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love. ~ Carl Sagan


It was a cold day in Washington, DC, with torrential rain. A total shock to the system given the spring like weather we have been spoiled with the past couple of days. In the midst of the torrential rain outside, I also had a mini flood inside my kitchen. My garden hose on the deck is the culprit yet again, and the issue has been isolated, but to fix the problem, the entire water supply to my building will need to be shut off to address the issue. Fantastic! Mind you, to me this isn't an option. I need my hose because I must have my garden. Somehow all the staff in our complex seem to understand that necessity and are working hard at trying to find a solution to the water problem. But water inside and outside is not ideal for me. 

Today I am absolutely exhausted and yet continue to work through the exhaustion because so much needs to get done. It is hard to believe the Foundation Walk is about a month away. I think the fact of the matter is that the Foundation has been inundated with so much else this year, that balancing a major fundraiser like the Walk has become almost unmanageable for me. Despite having planned this event five years in a row, it really doesn't plan itself, run itself, and the money just doesn't present itself. Every part of it has to be earned. When I mention this to small business owners, they totally get every aspect I am talking about, and therefore, I do equate the Foundation to running a small business. Which is ironic, because I never viewed myself as having these skill sets. Which is why Peter and I complement each other well and I would say is the reason the Foundation is at the point that it has gotten to today. I still remember several people saying to us during year one, that we would never get to year FIVE! I will always remember that comment. I didn't purposefully get to year five to show these individuals we could do it! That was the furthest from my mind. What they didn't realize is that failing in the eyes of a mother, just won't be tolerated. I did that once to Mattie with cancer, I will not allow that to happen a second time with his Foundation.  

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