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

May 19, 2015

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Tuesday, May 19, 2015 -- Mattie died 297 weeks ago today.

Tonight's picture was taken on May 5 of 2002, almost one month after Mattie was born. We took Mattie out for fresh air with Peter's parents and family. They gave him this cute beanie rabbit and as you can see Mattie was trying desperately to focus upon it and to engage with it. I will never forget that day, because the town of Arlington was celebrating Cinco de Mayo, and I was so out of it with a newborn, I did not know which end was up from exhaustion and no sleep. 


Quote of the day: Generosity consists not of the sum given, but the manner in which it is bestowed. ~ Mahatma Gandhi



Peter and I received our professional Walk photos today from Herman, the Foundation's photographer. I am slowing combing through them, but in Herman's typical fashion, he did a great job capturing the energy and feeling for the event! As I told him he is my eyes for the event, because I am so busy talking to people that I would say I miss a good 85% of what is actually happening at the Walk. I observe snippets of things, but Herman's snapshots are an excellent reminder for me! 

The photo above is a wonderful banner shot that was taken literally right before our "Mattie Miracle" Level Corporate Sponsor ($5000 level) sounded the horn to begin the Walk! It was a colorful start!!!

and the walk began..........












Once the walk was underway around the track, participants were able to view our 26 Faces of Hope posters. These are faces of children or teens who are either in treatment or are survivors of childhood cancer. We reminded our walkers that 46 children a day are diagnosed with cancer and that they are walking for children like the ones they see in the posters. Particularly to help meet their psychosocial needs because these needs are vital throughout the treatment journey. However, they are also crucial post-treatment into survivorship, and these faces should always remind us that cancer and its affects do not end ONCE THE TREATMENT DOES! 

I love this photo because to me it captures the faces of walkers who were touched by what they were seeing and reading on the posters in front of them. They were looking at the Faces of Hope posters while doing the Challenge Walk around the track!

I am signing off for tonight because I will need a few days to catch up on rest, before I really can dig through the photos and present them in a logical order. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying the progression of photos I am sharing with you. 

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