VIDALIA, La. (KNOE/Gray News) - The community of Vidalia has a tightknit bond that shines through everyone’s commitment to giving a special child a memorable Christmas.
Watson Calhoun, a 4-year-old boy, enjoyed a rare snow day on Tuesday.
He was diagnosed with cancer, and after Watson’s doctors told his family that he didn’t have much time left, they decided to celebrate Christmas while he is still able to enjoy it.
“He is a bossy, wild, energetic, happy-go-lucky child,” mom Melissa Calhoun said.
His demeanor and mission were altered in January.
“He is holding his head screaming and crying, can’t even move, the pain was so bad,” Calhoun said.
A cancerous tumor was discovered and removed from the boy, then 3 years old.
“It spread through his whole brain and his whole spine. We found out it was medulloblastoma, but he has an extra gene called Myc that makes his super rare and super aggressive,” Calhoun said.
Watson won his first battle with cancer, but his deadly opponent returned with vengeance.
“It is getting sick and knowing there is nothing I can do to stop it,” his mother said. “It had come back a lot stronger and worse, and basically gave us a timeline.”
The 4-year-old is home on hospice and in the loving arms of his mother.
“He knows he is sick. He knows he has cancer. He does not know what cancer is, knows he had to take medicine, he knows he has a feeding tube. He knows all these things but he still thinks he is OK,” she said.
With nothing taken for granted, the Calhouns celebrated Watson’s fourth birthday in grand fashion 19 days ago.
His mom said it’s hard “knowing that I can’t stop it, I am a mom. I am supposed to be the one that takes all his troubles away, and I can’t.”
The Calhouns, with the help of some northeast Louisiana elves, are finding ways to create new memories.
“We have decorations up. We have a tree up. Santa is coming. It is Christmas,” Calhoun said.
The news of Watson’s August holiday has reached the North Pole and beyond: “I have them from all over — California, Texas, Idaho, Utah, Washington,” Calhoun said.
Their mailbox is slammed full with support.
“These kids are taking their time to draw stuff and they’re putting their mind to it,” Calhoun said. “Everything that brings you joy at Christmas, that’s what we want to get to him”
Some musical elves delivered a curbside concert.
His favorite song is “Jingle Bells,” his mom said.
”He loves music, loves Christmas music,” she said. “We have been decorating for two weeks. Y’all, I won’t change nothing about it. I don’t care if it was 120 out here.”
Seventeen homes put up Christmas displays to inflate the spirits of their young neighbor.
“The look on his face at night time, riding in the golf cart down the street is absolutely amazing. He loves it. He thinks it’s funny. He thinks it’s so cool. He doesn’t, it hasn’t crossed his mind that it’s 106 degrees outside, which means it’s not actually Christmas,” Calhoun said.
For at least a few minutes, Watson’s snow globe offers a distraction from reality.
“It is those little moments that put a smile on our face through the rough times,” his mother said.
In the worst of times, she said she finds the joy in her son’s eyes and in her community’s heart.
“I have always had the hope of it, but this just puts it in a much more perspective of how much people really do care, especially when times are hard,” Calhoun said.
The tree is in place and the presents are going underneath. The Calhoun family will celebrate Christmas on Sunday.
A number of schools and businesses across the area encouraged students and workers to wear Christmas attire or red and green shirts on Friday.
Watson’s mom said she spends 90 minutes reading letters and gaining inspiration from them.
Those who would like to offer a word of encouragement or two to Watson or a Christmas card to him and his 9-year-old brother Ryland can send a card to the following address: The Calhoun Family, PO Box 55, Vidalia, LA 71373.
For more information on how you can reach out, visit the family’s Facebook page.
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