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

November 24, 2017

Friday, November 24, 2017

Friday, November 24, 2017

Tonight's picture was taken in November of 2008. On the day after Thanksgiving to be specific! Mattie was home between treatments and as was typical for Mattie and Peter, they always decorated our outdoor commons area for Christmas. It was a post Thanksgiving day event. Each year, Mattie and Peter went to Home Depot to pick another Christmas light to add to their collection and display. In 2008, they picked this huge Great Dane light up figure. Not surprising since Mattie loved Scooby Doo, who is a Great Dane. Our neighbors appreciated and loved our holiday lights every year. They would tell us as much and talk about these lights even after Christmas was over. After Mattie died, our elaborate outdoor light display ended. It just doesn't mean the same anymore without Mattie, yet all the lights remain in our walk-in closet in Mattie's room. 



Quote of the day: It is not the load that breaks you down. It’s the way you carry it. ~ Lena Horne, singer



We began our day with this sight!!! This was the bed Peter's mom was sleeping in, and as soon as the bedroom door was open this morning, Sunny helped himself, walked in, and hopped onto the bed. Got to love Sunny! 


I don't know how people had the time to do Black Friday shopping today, since it took me several hours to put away all the items we needed out for Thanksgiving. This afternoon we took Sunny to Roosevelt Island. Sunny just loved his Island adventures. Can you see the deer (a buck) on the right hand side of this photo? The buck blends in beautifully with the trees. Sunny clearly wanted a piece of this deer!
Isn't this deer just beautiful? Recently we starting taking a different walking trail on the Island and to our surprise we frequently see deer along this trail. This was today's surprise and this buck had no fear with us nearby. Or anyone else for that matter. It was as if he was posing and inviting all of us to take a look. 
Our other sighting was this very large pileated woodpecker. Can you see his red head on the trunk of this tree? We heard this bird before seeing him. When his head pecks on the wood, it almost sounds like a hammer thumbing on wood! 

1 comment:

Margy Jost said...

Vicki, I just have to get to Roosevelt Island & see the beauty you show! Truly the Buck was impressive as was the sight of Sunny in the " charge " pose.

The light in your life that was Mattie went out when he died. Not surprising decorating your common area or your home would never be the same again without Mattie's excitement. Many people don't realize that the death of a child in a family changes life completely. Your joy in many life adventures were made even more special with Mattie in them. Without them, they will never hold the same meaning. People should see & understand this but many don't. I find this sad that there is little true understanding of what forever loss means when it is the death of a child.