A Boy Called Super K

It was approximately four years ago that I first met this child who would forever change our lives. I knew from the moment that I caught that first glimpse of this boy, life would never be the same. My son began Kindergarten, and like many mothers I felt frantic seeing him go to school away from the protection of our home. That first day when I arrived at the school I was like many other parents, anxiously craning our necks to see our little prince or princess come down the hall. I saw this woman, who appeared more anxious then the rest of us. She had long brown hair and glasses which she used in an attempt to cover the pain in her eyes. She had a smile plastered on her face, which she hid behind like a veil. When I focused on this woman I could see that this smile and her attempt to project a happy demeanor was the cover for a deep sadness and worry. I then returned my attention to the hall way and I could plainly see who this mother was waiting for.

Shuffling down the hall came this little boy. Despite the crowd of other children surging forward he stood out amongst the rest. This boy dragged a backpack which was too big for his fragile frame behind him. His skin was pallid, his eyes were crystal blue. He had a huge smile on his face that could light up the darkest of days. I then noticed the smooth bald head of this boy which radiated a golden glow from the lights of the hallway. His appearance forced me to take a second look, as you could almost see a halo above this boy's head. He looked as if he was one of the cherub faced angels you might see on a Valentine's Day card. As he entered his mother's arms and you could see a slight release of tension from her worried eyes. She smiled at her son and asked about his first day of school. He proudly said "Mom I had so much fun in Kindergarten! I love school and my new friends!" She then turned and walked away past the crowd and through the door. From this first glimpse of this child I could see that he was clearly a super hero disguised in a child's body. This delicate boy was sent here to teach us all a valuable life lesson.

As time went on my son frequently began to talk about his new friend at school. I found out this friend was the boy from the hallway. My son Peter often spoke of Kevin and their adventures on the playground at recess. Before long the two of them would walk down the hallway together holding hands and smiling joyfully. Peter and Kevin formed a special bond with each other. Like Kevin, Peter was also different from the other boys and struggled playing some of the games with his classmates. Kevin did not care though, to him Peter was perfect. During recess, you would often see Kevin and Peter contently playing Cars and Star Wars together on the playground. Despite the fact that the other kids were playing sports, Kevin and Peter were happy to be in their own world. Their games consisted of being Lightning McQueen, and Towmator, or being Jedi and defeating the Sith Lords. They would swing their imaginary light sabers in the air winning their battles against all of the evil forces in the world.

With the friendship Peter had developed with Kevin, I began to talk with his mother Kelly after school. Through our brief discussions I discovered that Kevin had Leukemia. Kevin was in remission, and he had fought the disease twice already. Kelly spoke of the first time the family learned of Kevin's diagnosis in that cold hospital room. Kevin was two years old. She was clutching her only son when the doctors revealed that he had stage four Leukemia. Her baby Kevin, the youngest of all of her children had been through so many tests. Doctors had poked and prodded, put the screaming toddler into MRI chambers, took large amounts of blood from the terrified child's veins. Despite all of this Kelly learned this was just the beginning of the pain that Kevin would face. Kelly and her husband sat there in shock as the doctor began rattling off all of the treatments necessary to save Kevin's life. They were both clutching him tightly in their arms. Both asked themselves "why can we not protect our little boy from this?"