Mattie's Blog and his Fight Against Osteosarcoma

Thank you for keeping Mattie's memory alive!

Dear Mattie Blog Readers,

It means a great deal to me that you take the time to write and to share your thoughts, feelings, and reflections on Mattie's battle and death. Your messages are very meaningful and help support me through very challenging times. I am 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 have stopped writing on September 9, 2010. However, like my journey with grief there is so much that 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 me, and most importantly thank you for keeping Mattie's memory alive.

As Mattie would say, Ooga Booga (meaning, I LOVE YOU)! Vicki

October 1, 2019

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Tuesday, October 1, 2019 -- Mattie died 522 weeks ago today.

Tonight's picture was taken on September 26, 2006. Mattie was four years old and trying to engage with Patches, our cat. When Mattie was a toddler, he would run after Patches to try to catch her tail. With coaching, he learned how to interact with a pet. In this photo, you can see that Mattie was trying to play with Patches on the staircase. The beauty of Mattie, and of course Patches did not mind. She was the best cat and truly understood that she had to treat Mattie with patience and kindness.

Quote of the day: For most women, the language of conversation is primarily a language of rapport: a way of establishing connections and negotiating relationships. ~ Deborah Tannen

Peter and I were referred to two different gastroenterologists. We went to Peter's referral yesterday and it was a nightmare. We walked out of the office before ever seeing the doctor. The whole vibe of the office was off and we figured this did not speak well for the medical care we would receive. One of the things I forgot to mention is the building where these doctors are located is the SAME building we would take Mattie to see his pediatrician. We haven't visited that building since 2008, when Mattie was diagnosed with cancer. Now 11 years later, we walked back into the building and it wasn't a good feeling.

However, today's visit with the second referral, went much better. We both liked the doctor, the office is run efficiently, and I know that this doctor trained in great hospitals in NYC as well as performed thousands of colonoscopies. So our search is over!

In the midst of all of this, I am still dealing with teeth issues. Two weeks ago today, I had a partial crown removed because I reacted negatively to the bonding agent for the crown. The dentist drilled hard to remove this permanent crown 14 days ago, he cleaned out the area, and then put in a temporary crown. Needless to say, I am still on Advil around the clock and dealing with nerve pain. I am hoping this goes away before I see him next week. All I know is I haven't had a pain free moment in weeks and that doesn't count the pain I had before I even got this second dental procedure done. On top of which, I developed a migraine today. So it is the perfect storm of pain.

This afternoon, we walked Sunny to the new addition of the Kennedy Center. It is absolutely lovely! Especially when no one is there. These yellow metal signs illustrate the step by step dance moves for the twist. It is adorable.