Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Wednesday, June 25, 2014


Tonight's picture was taken in May of 2007. We took Mattie to a train museum in Lancaster, PA. Inside the museum was all sorts of displays including model toy cars and even this clever video camera that captured Mattie and Peter together. When I saw these two on the TV screen, I grabbed my camera and took a photo! I just love Mattie's big smile here! A big face of happiness surrounded by some of his favorite things.... trains and cars!





Quote of the day: It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. ~ Aristotle



I started my day by going to the dentist. I have been going to the same dentist in Washington, DC for over a decade. Needless to say we have had the chance to chat with each other over the years and to exchange personal stories. He knew Mattie died of cancer and I knew he was a cancer survivor himself. Recently he had his hip replaced and was having a hard time recovering. When I arrived for my cleaning today, my hygienist broke the news to me that my dentist's cancer returned. She told me he has of all things, bone cancer. I just couldn't believe it! How many people I know seem to be struck down by bone cancer..... Mattie, Patches, Jocelyn, and now my dentist. Of course I know many others affected by bone cancer, but this is just the list of those from my more immediate world. Frankly after hearing this news about my dentist, the rest of my check up appointment was a bit of a blur! 

I had the opportunity to meet the new dentist in the practice who is replacing my dentist. Naturally he has a difficult role to serve and big shoes to fill, but I was a bit surprised that he did not even address the transition with me. He just came in, introduced himself.... as if I was the new patient coming into the practice for the first time. Rather than he was the new doctor coming into seeing an established patient. I think the whole thing was awkward and it was awkward because he did not know how to manage the fact that my dentist had cancer! He just did not know how to broach the issue, so he didn't! It was a glaring problem for me, because I wanted to know how my doctor was doing! So before I left, I got my dentist's private email address so that I can communicate with him myself!

My faithful readers may recall that in April the Foundation had an item drive in honor of Mattie's 12th birthday. Well today, I picked up more items from that drive. These are items that were collected by a boy scout troop and a building club at a local school in Northern Virginia. A rather impressive collection! I very much appreciate the efforts and time our volunteers put into our item drives and I know that once Georgetown University Hospital receives these items pediatric families are very grateful to have access to them! These items are placed on the cart that we help to maintain at the hospital, a cart that offers free snacks and items to pediatric families several times a week. This cart provides a crucial service because when caring for a chronically or terminally ill child, it is next to impossible to leave the unit and get snacks and other items to meet one's basic needs. Therefore, the items collected during our item drives are really gifts to in-patients families at the hospital.