“Still with you. Thank you mom and dad.”
These were the last words little Leland Shoemaker left for his heartbroken mother and father before he passed away last week. Leland’s mother Amber posted a picture to her Facebook page of the note she found on her dining table when she returned home from hospital to get clothes for her son to be buried in.
She wrote: “This is the note we found from him on the table in the living room. We have no idea when he wrote it but you can tell he was always a special child. We will love you forever Leland. Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite!”
It was only a few weeks ago, in early September, that little Leland, 6, became ill. When he did not get better, he was admitted to hospital in his hometown in Atlanta in the US. After two weeks in hospital it was confirmed that he infected with an amoeba – a cell organism that was rapidly infecting his brain.
When in hospital, Amber set up a Facebook page for her son called Prayers for Leland.
On 21 September the parents confirmed Leland had “an amoeba”, adding: “Please pray harder than you ever have.”Just five days later on 26 September they shared the news that Leland had died.
The Facebook status read: “Today sweet Leland went to be with the Lord. He fought so hard, but ultimately the sickness was too much for his body to handle. The family is heartbroken and filled with sorrow, and we respectfully ask that you allow them time to grieve.”
In an emotional post on 28 September, Amber wrote:
“This is Amber. This will be my only post on here for awhile. I was over protective of Leland and tried my best to keep him safe. He was my world. He made me a mother. We struggled so hard to have him. He was a preemie baby but came out screaming and healthy. He was smart from day one. He knew his ABC, numbers, colours, shapes and 20 sight words by the time he was a year old. My whole life this has been my only fear and it came true. No one should ever have to bury a child. I always said I hope it’s me that goes first because I don’t think I’m strong enough to handle something like this. It still doesn’t seem real to me. He was the light of our life and the centre of this family. I count the days until I can see his sweet face again and hear that beautiful voice.”
We are sending all our thoughts to Leland’s mum and dad today!
