Tuesday, November 14, 2017

 Tuesday, November 14, 2017 -- Mattie died 426 weeks ago today.


Tonight's picture was taken on November 13, 2006. Mattie was four years old. In celebration of Peter's birthday, I snapped a photo of the boys together on the couch. Love their fall colors, and when you look at this photo, it is hard to believe that only two years later Mattie was diagnosed with cancer. 









Quote of the day: We must remember that one determined person can make a significant difference, and that a small group of determined people can change the course of history. ~ Sonia Johnson

Today was day two of deliveries. I started the morning with a full trunk of candy that we packed the night before. It makes it easier to hit the ground running in the morning. 

My first stop was at HSC (Hospital for Sick Children) Pediatric Center, in Washington, DC. This is a small facility and in many cases, it falls off the radar in our community. But this hospital deals with children in great need of support, and when I walked in the door this morning, all the security people know me. I am "the candy lady." Apparently I made a name for myself! Pictured here with the two lovely security folks are the child life staff at the Hospital. I was told today that patients were asking when the candy was coming..... so I am happy I did not disappointment before Thanksgiving. 

After that delivery, I headed to the Ronald McDonald House in DC. Literally it is about five minutes from the Hospital. I am pictured with Tim Mooney and Leslie Burkhalter. Leslie is the House manager and Tim does development work for Ronald McDonald. But how do I know Tim? Well Tim used to be our development contact at Georgetown University Hospital. Though Tim never met Mattie, he spent a good deal of time getting to know us and our story. He continues to be supportive of the Foundation, comes to every walk, is known to wear an orange tie for five days around the anniversary of Mattie's death, and also created a memorial stone in Mattie's name outside the entrance to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. So as you can see, Tim is not your average development person. 

In comparison to yesterday's deliveries, today was much easier. I did not have to cover as much geographical territory. However, since it was only me delivering, I did a lot of lifting and carrying of bags. Candy is HEAVY. Then after my two deliveries I had to drive to Alexandria, and reload my car for tomorrow's donations! 

We rented a U-Haul on Monday and will rent another one on Friday. In between, I try to take at least nine bins full of candy a day and deliver it locally. The worst part of today was emptying the bins and carrying and loading the candy into my car. In addition to that, I am trying to clean up the garage as we go, which is another labor of love that entails re-stacking all the empty bins (bins which have already been emptied and the candy delivered). It is like a nesting doll challenge!