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 8, 2014

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Tonight's picture was taken in October of 2008. As you can see Mattie was doing one of the things he was quite good at, but I don't always mention it on the blog.... PUZZLES! At an early age I noticed Mattie could easily solve and assemble puzzles. Sometimes children can get frustrated with puzzles, but Mattie seemed to like the challenge especially once you taught him some key skills like corners and framing in the puzzle. The more pieces the puzzle had and the greater the challenge, the more he seemed inspired to take it on! We did many puzzles at home and in the hospital!


Quote of the day: Individually we are one drop. Together we are an ocean. ~ Ryunosuke Satoro


Today Peter and I went on a day trip adventure with our friends Heidi and Phil. We drove together to Middleburg, VA. This is about an hour drive from Washington, DC. Peter and I had never ventured there before, so for us this was a great diversion from all the candy we have been seeing and processing. However before we hopped into Heidi's car, we first unloaded all the candy from the back of her car that she collected from her neighborhood and sorted for us. It was a ton and it was a concerted effort to get it into our home. 


When we arrived in Middleburg, we had lunch at the historic Red Fox Inn. The Inn was established in 1728 and stands at the foothills of the Blue Ridge and Bull Run mountains. Situated in a valley steeped in the lore of both the Revolutionary and the Civil Wars, the Red Fox Inn and Tavern carries on traditions of days past by providing locals and travelers with a timeless setting. Throughout the years, the Inn has been used for numerous notable events and remains a popular destination for anyone seeking a romantic hideaway in the heart of Hunt Country. The J.E.B. Stuart Room once served as the stage for a rare press conference by President Kennedy and as a meeting room for hopeful Democrats hosted by Ambassador Pamela Harriman, a local foxhunting resident. Elizabeth Taylor often graced the Tap Room both during the courtship and after her marriage to a local gentleman, Senator John Warner and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis frequently stayed at the Inn during foxhunting holidays each fall.


After lunch we walked through the quaint town of Middleburg. We came along this grain and feed store and outside the store was this incredible 277 pound pumpkin. I have seen pumpkins like this in newspapers and on TV, but never in person! It was a sight to behold. 





In one store, I felt as if I walked right into Christmas. The store was appropriately named, The Christmas Sleigh! But the store also sells authentic German and Austrian products and these items were quite special to see and explore! 













The town has a very special chocolate store.... Shenandoah Fine Chocolates! We met the chocolatier, Anne Brown! She gave Heidi and I samples of her candy which was a smart business move because naturally that inspired me to buy chocolate. Not that I needed much encouragement. But this time of year when my home is filled with the smell of candy, which is sickening in large dosages, buying candy doesn't always come to the forefront of my mind. 

Another stop on our journey was to The Upper Crust. This bakery had quite a line of patrons. As soon as you walk into the store you can see why. Everything smells like it just came out of the oven! One of the cookies the bakery is known for is the "Cow Puddle." A rather funny name, no? Well the cow puddle is actually a gooey toffeeish cookie.

On our drive back to DC, we stopped at the Greenhill Winery and Vineyard. This is the second vineyard I have been to, my first was this past July in Charlottesville, VA. This cute little house was where wine tastings were offered today along with live music. 








While tasting wine, the back drop was the lovely Blue Ridge Mountains. Also in the distance I could see black cows grazing! Since I happen to love cows, to me this was a special sight. 








The Vineyards














More of the Vineyards














When Peter and I got home from our outing, Peter spent several hours sorting candy!











We have candy piles everywhere and that sickly smell of candy is pervasive. We have the bags sealed but it doesn't seem to matter! 

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