Wallowa County Chieftain Article - December 1997

Whole state opens heart to Levi Bobbitt story

Front Page News

By Elane Dickenson
of the Chieftain

The generosity of the Joseph High School senior class has touched a responsive chord of good will throughout the state of Oregon.


Since the story of how the Joseph High School senior class agreed unanimously to give up its much anticipated class trip next spring to help with medical expenses for Levi Bobbitt, a classmate with cancer, was aired on a Portland-area radio talk show last Thursday afternoon, calls, cards of praise and offers of help have been pouring in.

"There was a senior girl answering the phone that day, and you could see her face lighting up. People were saying things like, `I think you are all heroes'," related Joseph High School principal Tony Ramos. "The response has been overwhelming. ... It's truly heartwarming."

On Monday this week 53 cards -- the first batch received after the story was publicized statewide -- was received at the high school, containing a total of $2,487 from Willamette Valley people. This news received an ovation when it was announced Monday evening to a full house at the Christmas concert. Another 11 cards containing $900 was in the Jo-Hi mail box Tuesday morning.

An offer has come from Spirit Cruise Line in Portland, which plans to take the entire Jo-Hi Class of '98 on a dinner cruise in the spring; another company has offered free transportation to Portland in conjunction with the cruise. Still another business called with its plans to host a big appreciation luncheon for Levi and the class. A Portland area musician, Gary Hoy, donated a guitar to the cause which was auctioned off on the radio for $900.

Calls have also been received from representatives of Blue Cross insurance (not the Bobbitts' insurer), Bureau of Land Management and many other businesses expressing the desire to help out.

The Associated Press has picked up the story about Levi and his class, and a reporter from The Oregonian newspaper visited the school Friday, the last day before it closed for winter vacation.

Lars Larson, the radio talk show host who originally aired the story, called Levi last Friday to talk to him personally on the air. "I said I was surprised and happy about what my class had done, and then he asked me some questions about my treatment," Levi Bobbitt, the center of all the attention, said on Tuesday.

He had been unaware of the cards and money received Monday because that day he was undergoing his second chemotherapy treatment at the St. Mary Medical Center cancer center in Walla Walla to combat lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph glands that was diagnosed at the beginning of December.

Bobbitt, 17, the son of Carl and Debbie Bobbitt, will continue to receive chemo treatments every three weeks through May.

Though he originally said he didn't want a big deal made out of his illness, he admits that the attention being given to him and his class is "mostly positive" and expressed gratitude to everyone who is donating.

Larson had been talking about Christmas Grinches on his show, including the group of Hillsboro youths who had beat a family of Christmas tree lot attendants, when he had put out an appeal for good news-type Christmas stories. Coincidentally, a message from Wallowa County had been left for him by Chieftain editor Rick Swart, who called Larson at the prompting of Wallowa County Health Nurse Mary Lou Brink. The next thing Swart knew he was being interviewed live on the show about the "good kids" of Joseph High School.

Apparently it was exactly the sort of story that people are hungry for at Christmas time.

"It is so good to hear about young people caring about someone," one woman from Salem wrote in her card. Another woman, from West Linn, said, "You are the best ... Your gift to your classmate will be your ultimate gift to yourselves. You are a class of guardian angels."

A man from McMinnville wrote, "In this day and age we hear so many negative stories of young people in our country. What a blessing it is to us and to you to hear of your giving to a classmate. Your act is truly in the spirit of Christmas."

Some of the money that has been sent so far has been designated to Levi, and some to the senior class, but almost all of it will end up where the class always intended -- to help pay for their classmate's medical expenses.

Senior class advisor Cindy Brink said that originally the 37 students in the class estimated that they would be able to give a minimum of $5,000, depending on their fundraising efforts this year; now the amount will be much, much higher. She said the class would still like also to leave behind a gift to the school.

Brink noted the students were totally taken off guard by the reaction to their gift, that they had no idea the sacrifice of their class trip would have such a positive impact on so many people during this Christmas season. "Many of the people who write are saying to them, `what goes around, comes around," she said. The advisor plans to make a scrapbook of with all the cards and letters they receive.

Wallowa County Chieftain Article - December 1997

Joseph High School seniors donate treasury to stricken classmate

The Joseph High School senior class voted unanimously to give up their "senior sneak" trip next spring to help pay for medical expenses for classmate Levi Bobbitt, who was diagnosed this month with a form of lymph gland cancer.
By Elane Dickenson of the Chieftain

At a time of year when most people's thoughts are on the Christmas season, the attention of the family of Joseph High School senior Levi Bobbitt is unavoidably focused on the reality that Levi was recently diagnosis with lymphoma, a form of cancer of the lymph glands.

The 17-year-old son of Carl and Debbie Bobbitt has already started chemotherapy treatments in Walla Walla following the bad news that arrived the first week in December after a biopsy at Oregon Health Sciences University.

"It didn't even affect me," said Levi about his first round of chemo on Dec. 4. He's already getting bored at home on Hurricane Creek, but is unable to attend classes while his white blood cell count is low, a side affect of the treatment.

Levi faces a chemo treatment every three weeks until May, plus a once-a-week blood test and checkup at the cancer center at St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla. In addition, his somewhat squeamish mother gives him a shot every day between treatments to stimulate growth of white blood cells. "I don't even like doing it to a horse," she said of the innoculations.

The good news in the midst of all the worry about a truly scary medical condition is an especially bright note at Christmas time. It shows how kids care about each other, and how selfless they can be when it really counts.

As soon as the members of senior class of Joseph High School heard about Levi's illness, they called a special meeting.

There, with no hesitation, they voted unanimously to give up their annual graduation trip -- the one that would have taken them to Disneyland or Las Vegas or some other exciting place next spring. Instead they will donate most of the money they would have spent on the long-anticipated class adventure to Levi's family to help pay for his medical expenses.

"We'll still do something," he said about graduation time. "Just not the big trip."

"It's just breathtaking. I couldn't be more proud to be affiliated with this class. ... There gift makes me want to cry," said Jo-Hi senior class advisor Cindy Brink.

She said that the class includes quite a few kids who have been through all 12 years of school together, including Levi Bobbitt and her own daughter, Shayla. "It's always been a close class. They've always stuck together. This is their way of saying, `He's our pard.' Levi's really special to so many of us. Hopefully this will brighten his Christmas."

Brink said that the class is unusually large for Joseph, 37 members strong, and normally each senior every year ends up raising about $300 each for his or her share of the class trip through a variety of fundraisers, starting their freshman year and really gathering steam as seniors. The trip is something that every student looks forward to throughout their high school years.

The choices this year had been narrowed to Disneyland, Las Vegas and Great America theme park in California; the class was reportedly having an unusually hard time deciding on the destination. Levi Bobbit's illness apparently made the final choice easy for them.

Their advisor said the class would continue their fundraising activities through the year. While they plan to give most of the money they raise to the Bobbitts, they also plan to have some kind of big class party, or even an overnight trip somewhere together. They'd also like to leave behind a gift for the school to remember them by, perhaps a big "Eagles" sign.

In addition to the monetary gift, one Joseph High staff member, Linda Botts, recounted another sacrifice at least the boys are prepared to make for their friend. "When Levi said he didn't want to go to school when he lost his hair, the boys in the class said, `we'll all shave ours, too, so we'll all be alike.'"

While he took part in sports as a younger boy, Levi's passion the last few years is videotaping. He became a self-taught expert when his family bought a camcorder ("He just kind of took it over," his mom remembers), and among other projects is preparing videotapes, complete with music, for the horse shows his sister Hannah, 13, and her friends take part in. He also films school sporting events and other activities, and is hoping to concentrate on some form of video in college.

"That's what we are supposed to be thinking about now is college," reflected Debbie Bobbitt. Like any mother she is worried about her son, and just concentrating on helping him through the ordeal.

Levi previously had a lymph condition when he was 12. Though it turned out to be benign then, the experience made insurance companies leary of the youngster. The current company even had a rider excluding Levi from coverage, but the Bobbitts recently learned that was not legal under Oregon law, so are hopeful he will be covered. However, even if the insurance covers all but 80 percent of the medical costs, the family is facing a huge bill.

While the class didn't want a big deal made out of their action, it seems especially fitting at Christmas time to publicize such an gesture of true generosity by a group of Wallowa County teenagers.