Thursday, December 10, 2020

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2003. That Christmas we took Mattie out to Los Angeles to visit my parents. Each day we tried to take Mattie on an outdoor adventure. That particular day we took him to Griffith Park. The Park has something for everyone and it is very kid friendly with playgrounds, train rides, pony rides, and even a Dentzel carousel. As you can see, Mattie was a bit cautious about going on his own horse, so instead he rode with Peter. In many ways, having Mattie allowed us to be children again and to explore the world through a new and unspoiled lens. 

Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins.

• number of people diagnosed with the virus: 15,535,565
• number of people who died from the virus: 291,403

It is hard to believe that three years ago, Mattie Miracle established its child life program fund at Children's Hospital at Sinai in Baltimore. Next week, we will be donating $46,000 to this Fund. The Fund pays for the full time salary of our child life specialist, Adina. Adina is a gem, a go-getter, and a true Mattie Miracle advocate. From the parent and hospital feedback I receive on Adina, it is clear that her position is vital. By the end of this calendar year, Mattie Miracle is proud to say that we have contributed close to $150,000 to the Hospital to directly support children with cancer and their families. 

Each quarter, Adina supplies Mattie Miracle with a report about her work. Below are three bar graphs that help to illustrate in a snapshot the work that she does. This first graph illustrates the fast age range Adina supports. 

Before Mattie was diagnosed with cancer, I had NO idea about the child life profession. However, within the first week of Mattie's diagnosis I quickly learned that these professionals are vital to the child's and family's quality of life.  Child Life Specialists help children and families cope with the stress and uncertainty of acute and chronic illness, injury, trauma, disability, loss and bereavement. They provide evidence-based, developmentally and psychologically appropriate interventions including therapeutic play, preparation for procedures, and education to reduce fear, anxiety, and pain. This second graph illustrates the many interventions Adina uses with children and families in a three month time period. 

The interventions listed above help when supporting a child through the procedures listed in this bar graph below. The whole reason Mattie Miracle started a child life program fund at two hospitals was in honor of the connection Mattie had with his child life specialist, Linda. Linda was an extraordinary individual, and she made the impossible more manageable for Mattie and for us. Because we experienced child life support first hand and saw how effectively it worked with Mattie, we inspired us to spread this support to other children and families like ours.