Tonight's picture was taken in February of 2009. Mattie was in the child life playroom that day and working on the construction of a mini volcano. While busy and creating, there was a vanilla shake sitting right next to him. The hope was he'd drink it for both fluid and calories. The treatment left Mattie emaciated and with no appetite, so whenever we expressed interest in eating or drinking, we jumped through hoops to get what he wanted. Fortunately we had an amazing support community working their magic behind the scenes. Nonetheless, I will never forget the many projects Mattie created and was involved in during treatment.
Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins.
- Number of people diagnosed with the virus: 76,432,691
- Number of people who died from the virus: 902,035
We moved into this house on August 25, 2021. Since that time, I have basically been cleaning it myself. Since this is a large house, it truly has become overwhelming, especially now that my parent's moved in. Today we had our housekeeper come to clean and I have resumed her service on a regular basis. She has been working with us since 2008, when Mattie was diagnosed with cancer. Prior to Mattie's diagnosis, I did all my own cleaning. But back then, I was living in the hospital, more than I was home. At which point, our neighbor suggested that he would send his housekeepers to our townhouse to clean for us on a regular basis. It was a very thoughtful gesture. I was reluctant, but I took the help, because I needed it. So I have known our housekeeper 14 years! She does an excellent job and is very trustworthy. I wasn't sure she would come outside the beltway to our home, but she seems happy to do it. Whereas, I am thrilled to have consistent support with cleaning!
Peter this week went to Syracuse, NY for work. While Peter was there, it snowed about 11 inches. If this happened in the Washington, DC area, the city would have been closed for two weeks. But Syracuse did not skip a beat. Things were open and flights were taking off and landing. Peter got home last night around 11pm, and shared with me a special text message he received from a colleague. I naturally won't share the message here, but it is the significance of the message that resonated with me and has a lot to do with this blog.
Peter's colleague was basically thanking him for being an outstanding boss. A boss who understands, values, and has compassion for the fragileness of life. Someone in Peter's company is in the process of losing a family member and Peter has encouraged this person to take time off. To be with the loved one and to not worry about work. That work will always be there, but right now there are more pressing and more important matters for this person other than work. It is clear that when Peter says these things, he has no ulterior motive and doesn't plan to give this person a guilt trip for missing work. Not all bosses are like this, and some say take time off, but ultimately don't mean it.
I believe Peter is a sensitive and in-tune person to begin with, but I also think Peter learned first hand the importance of workplace support while Mattie was sick and dying. In Peter's case, his bosses said one thing, but actually felt a totally different way about him. They viewed Peter as "broken," rather than having any real insight and compassion for what he was balancing as a father dealing with childhood cancer. Mattie's cancer diagnosis and death, I believe, have given Peter even greater insight about life and what people really need from their employers when facing such a family crisis. The wonders of Mattie..... as I always say, he was our life's greatest teacher.
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