Atlanta – Leland Shoemake, who lost on Friday a month-long battle after contracting Balamuthia mandrillaris, a rare type of infection caused by a free-living ameba, left a touching note for his parents to find. “Still with you,” it read. “Thank you, mom and dad. Love.”
The 6 year-old boy was receiving treatment at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta with an experimental drug provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, his condition deteriorated.
When his parents returned home to pick up his clothes for the burial, they found on a table in their living room a note his son wrote before his death. “We were in shock and broke down as soon as we saw it. He was amazing in life and still is after his passing. He touched everyone he met and we are amazed at how many lives he’s touched since he left us,” Amber Shoemake told ABC News.
Parents of the kid created a Facebook page dedicated to their son, in order to let family and friends be informed of his status and ways in which they can contribute to his health.
On Monday, Amber posted a picture explaining the heartfelt but surprising event. “When Tim and I came home for the first time to get him clothes to be buried in, 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,” Amber wrote in a Facebook post Monday.
A boy to be remembered
Leland’s mom also described his son and shared some emotional details about his personality on the same Facebook post. She started by presenting herself and commenting this publication would be her last post on the social media site for a while.
“I was over-protective of Leland and tried my best to keep him safe,” she wrote. “The one thing he loved most was playing in the dirt. I never imagined that would be the thing that would take him from me. He was my world. He made me a mother.”
“He loved his brother and his family so much. He was the life of every party. His smile could light up a city. He was the smartest, most caring, loving little boy there ever was. He was taken from us too soon… He was the light of our life and the center of this family. I count the days until I can see his sweet face again and hear that beautiful voice,” said Amber.
Source: ABC News