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

June 30, 2016

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Tonight's picture was taken in August of 2002. Mattie was sitting on our couch positioned next to his basket of small stuffed animals. It is funny, when you have a baby, I am quite certain the number one gift to give is a stuffed animal. Yet Mattie for the most part did not gravitate to any of them. But we certainly tried. After I had Mattie, I always thought twice about giving a stuffed animal as a baby gift. Otherwise, prior to raising Mattie, I must admit I was guilty for giving many as gifts.  


Quote of the day: I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive. Gilda Radner


Since February, I have wanted to rescue a dog. I really wanted a specific breed.... a sheltie or collie. These are hard breeds to come by because they are SO popular... these dogs get snapped up quickly. I filled out numerous adoption applications over the past months, yet nothing panned out. Then a friend of mine of Facebook sent me a link to City Dogs Rescue. I know City Dogs, because it is right next to City Wildlife in DC. The place I brought the injured dove in February, who was cared for and then released back into my neighborhood.  

Today I filled out City Dog Rescues extensive application for a dog and a cat. Within a few hours, I was contacted for the adoption of both! So much for all the collie and sheltie rescue leagues I was dealing with. Of course, those other rescues are dealing with more pure breed rescues. Nonetheless, City Dogs rescues dogs and cats from kill shelters, which I clearly want to support. 

This is specific info about City Dogs.................................. (http://www.citydogsrescuedc.org/about.html#.V3WflvkrJD8)

City Dogs Rescue rescues adoptable dogs and cats in overcrowded and high-kill shelters, where resources are severely limited. We offer a lifeline to as many of these wonderful animals as possible. Sadly, many of the dogs and cats that City Dogs Rescue takes are just days — and sometimes hours — away from being euthanized for no reason other than lack of space. By finding these animals permanent and loving homes in the DC metropolitan area, we can enrich lives of humans and their pets.

We are interested in three different cats. But will need to meet them to make that determination. However, here is the fellow we plan on fostering first for a week to determine if we want to adopt him. How do you like this? The date we have to decide as to whether we want to adopt him is July 23! Very symbolic, since Mattie was diagnosed with cancer on July 23, 2008. Seems like a Mattie sign. 

This is Lenny. Of course if we adopt Lenny, the first thing I will do is change his name. He doesn't look like a Lenny to me. He looks like a "Sunshine."


Lenny is five years old and is a border collie mix. He is coming up to DC from South Carolina. 
The full view of Lenny. We will be attending a training class on July 10th and clearly caring for a dog who is coming out of a kill shelter will have its challenges. Since he could be very anxious, untrusting, and easily upset with his new environment. All of which I get, since if you did this to me, I would be a mess! 




This is the part of South Carolina that Lenny is from, Picken's County. In the upper most west quadrant. 


So stay tuned for updates on Lenny, who hopefully will be a positive addition to our lives. 

1 comment:

Margy Jost said...

Vicki - I love the name SUNSHINE. Your life will be filled with ibe filled with sunshine when you bring sunshine home!!!!!

I love, just truly love the baby pictures, you post of Mattie! Precious!!!
Unconditional love, something we all seek. It makes life better!