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

February 7, 2016

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Tonight's picture was taken on February 6, 2009. What I love about this photo is it illustrates the entourage that accompanied Mattie on his physical therapy sessions. Standing behind Mattie was Jenny (one of Mattie's art therapists), Denise (Mattie's social worker), Jessie (one of Mattie's art therapists), and Anna's physical therapy intern. Who you can't see was Anna, but she was there leading the pack, holding Mattie's IV and pushing his IV pole. This may seem cute or perhaps over the top, depending upon your advantage point. But in all reality Mattie needed this kind of energy and support from those around him who cared for him. Mattie was physically exhausted from treatment and was in pain from both surgeries and battling cancer. Therefore, this incredible show of support was the exact motivation that Mattie needed and I will never forget. 


Quote of the day: I feel I’ve lost every part of me…there’s nothing left but the parts I’ve given to you. I need you to hold those pieces together. Please don’t forget who I was…then…then there really will be nothing left. ~ Cassandra Giovanni


Not being a football fan, I have trouble with the obsession over the Super Bowl. I am not sure what troubles me more, the sport itself or the OUTRAGEOUS amount of money spent over this production. It is most definitely a production, starting with the half time show (which with every successive year pushes on us LESS and LESS musical talent, and instead makes up for this lack of class with lights, animation, and special effects!) and ending with the many TV commercials generated for this special night. 

One of the ads this year is called "Super Bowl Babies." Basically it highlights children who were conceived in the city of the winning team, nine months after the win. In the CBS News ad below, it says, "for 49 years, our fans have rallied around their favorite teams on Super Bowl Sunday and passed their pride and passion down to the next generation," said NFL Chief Marketing Officer Dawn Hudson. "We are excited to celebrate our football families by shining the spotlight on 'Super Bowl Babies,' those fans born into a lifelong love of their team and the game."

This commercial seems to directly point to our society's misdirected priorities and yet, I bet it becomes a very popular and well watched ad. But to me, we are more wrapped up as a society over a sport and the "family" such a sport produces than bringing attention to more serious minded topics such as childhood cancer. I see it daily on social media sites.... it points to what our society wants to see and "likes." What is liked and goes viral is typically zany, spoofy, or happy things, certainly not sad topics or substantive messages. 

Ideally I would love to tell them to hold the half time show, forget about each Super Bowl commercial and put the money spent on all this nonsense to something tangible that will benefit our communities. Of course, I realize I am in the minority!!! If you haven't seen the ad I am referring to, I posted an article about it below and the link to the ad itself. 

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/super-bowl-50-nfl-ad-celebrates-super-bowl-babies/

The actual ad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KqekigARfE&feature=player_embedded

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