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.