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

October 2, 2014

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Tonight's picture was taken on October 7 of 2007. We took Mattie to a park alongside the Potomac River that weekend. As you can see Peter brought along a soccer ball. He was trying to encourage Mattie to develop his skills as a player. Mattie was more like me, in that he was intrigued by the dogs and the people in the park, but he did play with Peter because he loved his "daddy" time. Peter never pressured Mattie to do a particular activity, he tried to expose Mattie to a host of different things so that Mattie could figure out what he liked and what interested him. 


Quote of the day: Nobody sees a flower - really - it is so small it takes time - we haven't time - and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time. ~ Georgia O'Keeffe


I finally had the opportunity today to see a nephrologist. Which seemed like a feat in and of itself, since his receptionist last week told me that his next opening wasn't for several months. Somehow the stars and planets aligned and I was seen today. This particular specialist is in his 70's and in my opinion is an old world doctor. Some how either medicine was taught differently back then, or we have lost something in the translation now. This doctor spent an hour with me and actually sat down, had a conversation, listened, took a thorough history, and we learned something about each other. Before he even came in the room, he knew from my file through my other doctor's office that I lost Mattie through cancer. He made a note of that! What a concept! Not only did he make a note of that, but we discussed it and he also observed my Pandora bracelet and when I told him it was a memory bracelet in honor of Mattie, I thought he was going to lose it! He couldn't handle the subject matter. 

I discussed kidney stones, the next assessments he would like done, and what I need to do moving forward before my next appointment. But what I loved about him is he held my hand and told me that his job is to worry about this problem and to make sure other stones to do arise again. My job is to implement the strategy he creates. He literally walked me to the door of the office and told me he was available any time to consult with me. At which point I told him, we needed to clone him and by the way his office staff are just as delightful as he is! He has restored my faith in doctors! Occasionally you find a golden egg in the basket and when you do you really see how lacking the others are! This personal attention, compassion, and being treated as a person makes a huge difference! This is the art of medicine and it has a lot to do with the science of healing. 

When I came home later in the day I noticed the paper white bulbs that we planted around Mattie's fifth anniversary of his death were blooming. We planted these bulbs so that they would surprise us in the spring around Mattie's birthday, but because of the warm temperatures, many of them popped up and out this week. Also very close to the paper white flower, I also found a penny! So I figured this was a Mattie sign. 

I continued to write today, though I wasn't as productive as yesterday and the day before. So I plan on writing tonight, in hopes of getting more done. Nonetheless, while writing this afternoon, that wonderful monarch butterfly that I saw on Tuesday flew by Mattie's window and it brought a smile to my face! Several Mattie signs were all around me today and I don't take them for granted!

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