Tonight's picture was taken in September of 2008. I love this photo because to me Mattie was symbolically sitting on top of the world. We all thought his chemo treatments were coming to an end soon and we could focus on rehabilitation. So at the time we truly thought we were sitting on top of the world.
Quote of the day: More often than not, we end up sharing our joys with people we love and grief with the people who love us. ~ Unknown
The WTOP Click-For-A-Cause Contest ends TODAY at 5pm! Please consider voting if you haven't already. Help us bring awareness to childhood cancer.
Mattie Miracle has secured 487 votes so far! Thank you to all of you who voted and passed along our posts to your friends and family. We greatly appreciate your support.
As of today the top three charities are: 1) Lab Rescue of the LRCP (with 3,800 votes), 2) Homeward Trails Animal Rescue (with 2,600 votes), and 3) Patriot Appreciation Program (with 2,100 votes).
The contest is closed and we ended the contest with 500 votes! Though we did not win the contest, we feel that we spread the message about Mattie Miracle's mission all over Facebook and Twitter!
We went to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital today for two reasons. One to make a $30,000 contribution to the Mattie Miracle Child Life Program Fund and two to launch our new bright orange family snack cart.
We have been donating to Georgetown Hospital since 2011, and to date we have contributed over $130,000 to the child life department, in addition to thousands of dollars in in-kind contributions.
Pictured from left to right: Peter, Debbi (Mattie's Sedation Nurse Angel), Linda (Mattie's child life specialist, who I nicknamed our Angel of Caring in 2008), Tricia (Mattie's favorite Hem/Onc nurse; Mattie told Tricia one day in the hallway that he LOVED HER), Vicki, Lerin (the child life specialist who Mattie Miracle funds), Ann (our friend and board member), Sharon (Mattie's hospital chaplain), and Alice (who oversaw the management of pediatric nurses when Mattie was battling cancer).
This is our new snack cart that we launched today. We run two item drives a year to help stock this cart! Which is why we are very grateful to all our contributors. This cart makes a huge difference in the lives of in-patient families.
Attached to the cart, we put 7 balloons.... for each year Mattie was alive and in our lives.
Besides the cart being more vibrant and happy looking, we also added huge magnets to the cart to indicate to others that we are its sponsor.
We had a check signing party in the Child Life playroom. This room was very special to us, since Mattie spent a great deal of his time here. When Mattie first underwent treatment this room wasn't built. However, over the course of his treatment this room opened up and it was an absolute God sent to us. Otherwise, you are constantly confined to your hospital room.
We had an opportunity to say a few words to those in attendance. Most of the people in the room with us were professionals who assisted us with Mattie's care. In a way, Georgetown will always be like a second home for us and those who remain working there, are the keepers of Mattie's memory with us.
We took a photo today with Pam, the VP of Philanthropy at the Hospital.
Pictured from left to right: Ann, Peter, Pam, and Vicki
Peter and I with Tricia! We never plan a check signing party without checking that Tricia and Debbi will be working that day at the Hospital, since their presence is important to us.
A close up of the back magnet on the snack cart!
In addition to the party, we also had the opportunity to push the snack cart around all three pediatric units with Lerin. This was a first for Peter and me. We have heard about the importance of the cart, have been told stories, but experiencing this for ourselves was vital. We remember all too well how devastated, exhausted, and traumatized parents are while living in the hospital. So many do not have time to get food for themselves. One couple told me they hadn't eaten for a day! So you can rest assure that seeing a snack cart is like seeing water in a desert. Many of the families we interacted with today wanted to pay us for the items they took. It feels awkward for them to just take something. That was fascinating to me and we are planning on making another sign for the cart to let them know that the items are free and we are doing this to support them.
Along our journey however, we had an unexpected experience. As we went into each room, Lerin explained to parents who we were. In one particular case, a teenage patient stopped Lerin and told her she knew Mattie and that she went to school with him. This caught me by surprise. So I looked at her and her mom, and I did not recognize either of them. But it got better, this is how my mind can play tricks on me. This girl is 13 years old and in my mind I said to myself..... this girl is TOO old, there is no way she knew Mattie because Mattie is 7. I figured she was talking about a different Mattie. However, I then rationalized that in today's world Mattie would be 13 too and therefore it was very possible they went to school together. So I then began to ask her questions..... her name, what school she attends, what kindergarten class she was in and so forth. Her mom introduced herself to me, and as soon as I heard her name, I knew of her, and that she was good friends with my friend Alison. Ironically this girl's mom tried to deliver on a special gift for Mattie. Mattie always talked about wanting to be a captain of a boat. So this mom was able to contact the Navy, and get Mattie the opportunity to go on a large naval vessel and captain it for a day. Unfortunately by the time this gift presented itself, Mattie's cancer was terminal and he was not in the mood for crowds, fanfare, or to basically interact with people. But isn't it a small world.... that after six years, I should finally meet this mom face to face. I do want you to know that this teenager doesn't have cancer, but is in the hospital for another issue. She was absolutely delightful to interact with and I was very touched that she wanted to converse with us given she wasn't feeling well. Needless to say, today was the first day she could eat solid foods and the items on the snack cart were a thrill to her, as they were a thrill to us to provide them to her.
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