Absolutely nothing compares to the loss of a child.  This is something that grieving mother, Amber Shoemake knows all too well – and wishes she didn’t.  Her six-year-old son, Leland, fought tooth and nail against the terrible amoebic brain infection which finally took his life, only a few short days ago.

Little Leland was known as the “life of every party”, according to his mother, and was a smart, eager, fun-loving and knowledge-thirsty child. During his struggle for continued life, his tear-jerking plight gained the sympathy of over 1.5 thousand viewers thanks to the  GoFundMe Page that was established by his mother in his name. Over $14,000 were donated by compassionate strangers who were touched by his story. Their money went towards funding his treatment, but tragically, his brain infection had progressed too quickly for the little boy to be saved.

After his death, Amber and her husband Tim, made the long and ominous journey home to gather clean clothes for his burial. When they walked into their own living room, the whole world seemed to stand still, for laying on their living room table, was a scrawled note from their little boy.

As if he had somehow known his fate and wanted to give his parents one last token of his affection, Leland had written in big red letters on a piece of notebook paper, “Still with you. Thank you, Mom and Dad. Love.”

Amber Shoemaker posted a heart-rending eulogy on her facebook page, Prayers for Leland, announcing his untimely demise. Her words are fraught with the unbounded love and anguish that only a grieving mother can truly understand, as she tries desperately to make sense of her sweet little boy’s loss. Yet Leland’s note seems to have given his parents some measure of comfort in these dark times. In reference to this, Amber writes, “We have no idea when he wrote it but you can tell he was always a special child.” Special indeed. One in our solidarity with the 1.5 thousand who contributed to Leland’s cause, our hearts go out to the special little boy’s parents today.

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