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 25, 2020

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Tuesday, February 25, 2020 -- Mattie died 543 weeks ago today. 

Tonight's picture was taken on February 14, 2004. Mattie was almost two years old. I snapped this photo because Mattie loved trying on my shoes or Peter's. He would go clip clopping around our home. The funny part was when he would also try to put on Peter's pants! It was hysterical, as he tried to walk around with big shoes and pants. Honestly there was more material than boy. 

On an aside, I can see the furniture on the right hand side of this photo. We had to move that piece, because when Mattie was in preschool, our neighbor was moving and she gave Mattie her upright piano for free. She wanted him to learn to play. I can't look at that piano now without thinking of Mattie or our neighbor Susan. Many of our neighbors fell in love with Mattie. 



Quote of the day: Life's under no obligation to give us what we expect. ~
Margaret Mitchell


Over the next two weeks, Peter and I have several Mattie Miracle meetings. Starting tomorrow, we are meeting with the Department of Health and Human Services, followed by a visit to the senate. The goal is two fold, to introduce ourselves so that these entities so they understand who Mattie Miracle is and what we have become which is the center for excellence in psychosocial care for children with cancer. The second goal is to find ways we can work together to bring attention to the psychosocial standards of care and most importantly to implement them at treatment sites. This isn't a small task, but I would say the next two weeks are about bringing awareness to the issues and the Standards and to signal to others that we have owned this space for quite some time. 

Back in 2012, when we told people that Standards of Care were needed and that our vision was to create them, people thought.... sure, but at the same time.... no way! In three years, with the assembly of an incredible team of professionals, the vision became a reality. I try to remember this, because what seemed like it was impossible, was actually very possible. It is a matter of  finding the right people who are committed to a cause, understand what our implementation vision is, and who want to be part of this healthcare solution! 

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