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

September 21, 2015

Monday, September 21, 2015


Monday, September 21, 2015



Tonight's picture was taken in November of 2008. Mattie received this wonderful turkey hat from a friend, and as soon as he opened his care package, he dawned on the hat! He was by far one of the cutest turkeys around. To me this is the quintessential Thanksgiving day photo. 









Quote of the day: I measure every grief I meet with narrow, probing eyes - I wonder if it weighs like mine - or has an easier size. ~ Emily Dickinson 



WE ARE UP TO 443 votes at day 8 (out of 12) of the WTOP Click-For-A-Cause Contest.
WTOP awards the top 3 charities who secure the most votes. As of today, the top 3 are: 1) Lab Rescue of the LRCP (meeting the care needs of abandoned Labrador Retrievers), 2) Patriot Appreciation (Assists the Military Community), and 3) Through the Heart (supporting those who have lost a pregnancy).
Help us bring further awareness to the needs of children with cancer and their families. Please vote and share this post with friends and family.




On Saturday we attended Curefest's opening reception. After the reception many of the people in attendance walked to the White House for a candle light vigil. Peter and I decided not to attend for various reasons. One of which is I do not like crowds or being trapped in a location with many people. Also since I know the White House refused for a second year in a row to go Gold for September, I did not feel exactly enthralled to stand outside of the White House at a vigil. It seemed like the wrong place to be reflecting and honoring our children. The cancer community asked again this year that the White House light up in Gold lights. Here was the response:

http://www.acco.org/blog/2015/06/29/will-the-white-house-go-gold/

Given the childhood cancer community's disappointment of the White House's decision about not shining our Nation's house in GOLD, this set the stage for further anger and sadness this weekend. On Saturday evening as hundreds of children and their families walked to the White House to have their candlelight vigil, they were locked out of the space. Despite having permits and having coordinated this event through the appropriate channels. The vigil was supposed to start at 7pm, but instead children and families were locked out of the space until 10:30pm. By that time, most people left angered and deeply saddened! You can see the articles on this below. One article highlights the incident and the second is an apology from the Secret Service chief. Though these kinds of security measures are not unusual in DC, I am aware of how this lock out was perceived and how unfortunate it is that instead of bringing light to the real issue (childhood cancer and the need for more research, drug development, and access to psychosocial support) reporters and the community are focusing on being ejected from the White House and the apology that followed. Forget the apologizes and instead help us bring awareness to childhood cancer. That is how The Washington Post and the White House can help!

Kids with cancer and their parents ejected from park near White House:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/cancer-stricken-children-and-their-parents-ejected-from-park-near-white-house/2015/09/20/416665a4-5fd5-11e5-9757-e49273f05f65_story.html


Secret Service chief apologizes for how group of cancer-stricken kids was treated:


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