Tonight's picture was taken in March of 2007. That afternoon, my parents and I picked up Mattie from preschool and we went out to his favorite restaurant for lunch. In the background you can see my dad walking to the car with Mattie's tote bag. It is amazing how times have changed from when this photo was taken..... as Mattie died and the person my dad used to be is no longer.
Quote of the day: The greatest minds are like film, they take the negatives and develop themselves in darkness... ~ Brandi L. Bates
This morning, after getting my parents settled, I hopped on a Zoom call with Mattie's best preschool friend, Zachary, and my friend Jane. For the last five weeks, we have been working together on a Foundation project. As a recap, Zachary is taking a non-profit course and part of his assignment for a class is to shadow a non-profit leader. He reached out to me and we have been working together ever since. I can't tell you how special this is.... mainly because most of Mattie's friends do not remember him or me. They were too young when Mattie got sick and died. So for the most part, when Mattie died, many of those connections also died for me. Which is why this invitation to work with Zachary means a great deal to me. Remember that when Mattie was in preschool, he and Zachary played together everyday after school. We spent a lot of time together, and outside of Mattie, I would say that I was very well versed in Zachary!
As of today, Zachary has met his shadowing requirement for his course work, but he is committed to the project and has chosen to remain working on it with us. So what are we doing? Well we are creating a visual document that highlights our M&M Wishes program. Not all of our supporters understand the major success of this program.
Our M&M Wishes program started in 2021, after the death of my close friend and board member, Margy. Prior to joining Mattie Miracle, Margy ran her own successful childhood cancer non-profit. Margy was a play therapist and worked with countless children with cancer over the course of her wonderful career. One of Margy's patients (Karen) died and the child's family started a non-profit. For years, Margy ran that non-profit and kept the memory and legacy of Karen alive. One of the many things Margy's non-profit offered was mini-wishes. Therefore, when Margy died, I wrote to her family and told them I would like to incorporate Margy's wishes program into Mattie Miracle and keep her amazing legacy work alive. In addition, I appointed Margy's daughter to our Board, so that she could be intimately involved with M&M (Margy and Mattie) Wishes.
So what are M&M Wishes? A M&M Wish grants a child with cancer up to $1,000 for a fun activity, wish list item, or family trip. A Wish is designed for families to connect outside of the hospital and treatment experience, in order to make lasting memories together. What makes our Wishes program unique is compared to other organizations, we award our Wishes to children who are 5-years-old and older, including teens and young adults, as long as they have a childhood cancer diagnosis. Most importantly we grant Wishes to children in treatment, children in survivorship, and children facing the end of their life. Most organizations require the child to be in treatment to receive a wish.
Naturally I have personally communicated with every parent whose child was granted a Wish, but seeing their quotes positioned next to their child's photo is beyond poignant, touching, and deeply meaningful. When the project is complete, I will show you exactly what I am talking about. In the mean time, when I get down and wondering what purpose do I serve..... I just have to pick up these M&M Wish visuals and they instantly remind me that Mattie Miracle has and continues to make a difference in the lives of children with cancer and their families.
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