By Megan Boatwright, Local News 8 Reporter
Cancer is a terrible thing to face at any age, but imagine receiving that kind of diagnosis as a 1st grader. That is the harsh reality for young Jace Leatham, but there's a silver lining. Thursday morning his school came together in a unique show of love and support.
Pep Rallies are usually reserved for football games, but the cheers and chants at Hibbard Elementary had a very different focus, as students and teachers united to create a room full of love for a classmate they call, ‘Ironman Jace'.
It's a scene that would make even the toughest eye teary, an entire school chanting words of encouragement for one of their own.
"It was pretty cool," said Jace's older brother, Hayden Latham. "It's good that everyone's being so supportive."
Last week Hayden's brother was a normal healthy kid, now he's a cancer patient.
"The doctor's are brilliant," said Vicki Grover, Jace's grandmother. "Primary Children's is the place to be. If you have to have cancer this is the type to have. The care he's getting is fabulous."
Jace is fighting Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Every stretch of his journey is being documented by mom, Amy, on his blog. Her beautiful words have unexpectedly rallied a community.
"As she was getting in the car Friday night, she said ‘I'll start a blog to keep everyone up to date'," Vicki said. "She had no idea it would spread like this."
The blog has seen 12,000 hits in six days. 106 people are following Jace's journey.
"He lies in bed, opens the computer and reads the blog," Jace's grandmother said. "He says ‘Tell me more mom'."
Thursday morning another outpouring, in the form of a pep rally, with family members videotaping every minute as the kids chant a nickname that has come to mean much more.
"I don't really know how ‘Ironman' started," said 10-year-old Hayden. "Somebody started calling him that, and it built from there."
Maybe it's fitting, because who better to fight a disease as large as cancer than a mother, father and 6-year-old made of iron strength.
"Iron mom, iron dad," said Vicki. "They're hanging right in there." Vicki said Jace's body is responding well to treatments, and he could be home again very soon.
A support fund has been established at Beehive Federal Credit Union in Rexburg and Idaho Falls. Just ask for the ‘Jace Leatham Fund' to make a donation.
You can also visit Jace's blog at http://ironmanjace.blogspot.com.
