Losing a loved one is incredibly difficult. It’s not simple to get over the loss of a loved one. Stories about death and grief are not something we want to hear very often.
It’s awful, yet nothing is more devastating to a parent than losing a child. It inflicts a lifetime of agony and sorrow, no matter how long the time has passed since it happened.
This is a tale of a young man who died and whose parents were in tears upon returning home from the hospital, discovering something he had left them; it was terrible.
Leland Shoemake was only six years old when he died on September 25th, a few weeks after being diagnosed with Balamuthia Mandrillaris. This is a free-living amoeba that has been linked to lethal brain diseases known as granulomatous amoebic encephalitis. It was first discovered in the brains of monkeys from the San Diego Wild Animal Park in 1986.
Leland Leland, with his family, resides in Williamson, Georgia. When his parents returned home without their son for the first time since he went missing, they found a note that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. While mother Amber was in Leland’s room to prepare for the burial, Tim’s father ran into him reading a note on the living-room sofa where Leland usually liked to draw.
When he read the note, Billie immediately began sobbing. He dashed to his wife to show her what he’d found.
Leland’s final letter reads:: “Still with you. Thank you, mom and dad. Love mom and dad.”
Amber stated, “To say I lost it was an understatement. We cried together for the longest time.”
According to Leland’s parents, he loved writing notes and photos for them, but this one was different. It was going to be the most cherished of all. The family decided to frame Leland’s note and hang it in their living room as a reminder that Leland is still with them in spirit. Amber described Leland as a bright and inquisitive kid in her Facebook post.
“He knew his ABC’s, numbers, colors, shapes and 20 sight words by the time he was a year old.” She said that he was their “little nerd” and they loved that about him. Leland loved school and loved to learn. He also loved the History Channel, The Weather Channel, Documentaries and basically anything about history. She writes, “He had a hunger for learning.”
Leland’s parents tell us that he adored writing notes and photos for them, but this one is different. It was going to be the most loved of them all. The family decided to frame Leland’s note and hang it in their home to remind them of Leland’s presence. Amber revealed on her Facebook post that Leland was a bright boy who was very inquisitive.
“He knew his ABC’s, numbers, colors, shapes and 20 sight words by the time he was a year old.” She went on to say that he was their “little nerd” and that they appreciated him for it. Leland enjoyed school and loved to learn. He also liked documentaries, The Weather Channel, history programs, and anything else about history. “He had a hunger for learning,” she wrote.
Leland was also a people person. He engaged with everyone he encountered and his amiable disposition aided his parents in making new friends. Leland was just a lovely youngster who was swiftly removed from them.
Leland’s note for his mother and father was exquisite, and it’s something everyone should see. There are no words in the English language that could convey the significance of finding anything like this for a parent who has recently lost a child. Leland will be remembered as a decent young man forever.
His family’s tragedy has been devastating, but towards the end, he was able to comfort them a little by assuring them that he would always be there for them.
