St. Michael-Albertville Person of the Year: Luke Letellier

As his friends and classmates lined the bleachers of the gymnasium Tuesday, Dec. 21, Luke Letellier decided to provide a bit of entertainment.

He propped his wheelchair up on its back wheels, and began to roll around the basketball court.

“I’m gonna take a lap,” he said with a smile. He made it about half way.

Luke’s story, and the story of the Letellier family, is well known. The now 16-year-old young man found out he had a rare form of childhood cancer about two and a half years ago.

Doctors examined pain in Luke’s leg and found a tumor. Almost immediately, they determined it was ARMS (alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma), and that Luke was in for the fight of his life.

For more than a year, he endured chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The tumor shrank, Luke continued on with his life, and in 2010, his scans came back clear.

In June of this year the cancer came back, and had spread.

That’s what happens, often, with ARMS. The Letellier family had seen it several times, including with young Jordan Davis, 18, of Monticello. Her scans came back “dirty” about the same time as Luke’s. Now, she’s gone, after “earning her wings” back on Dec. 4.

That’s how aggressive this cancer can be.

But Luke doesn’t talk much about that. He leaves that to his mother, Jennifer, who has documented almost every doctor’s appointment and filled in an entire community almost every week with her updates on Luke’s CaringBridge.org site.

While Luke is fighting, he’s now managing. He’s not on any medications. A scheduled session of proton radiation in Indiana was negated by local doctors who determined, sadly, it was too late.

“He just doesn’t complain,” Jennifer said in one entry. “He never says anything negative.”

It's an illness that doesn’t phase Luke. He takes his pain medication, begrudgingly. He has days in which he sleeps, or can't keep food down. He doesn't care. He’d rather be out with his friends.

And Luke’s friends are many. There’s the core circle of more than a dozen kids who have hung out since early middle school. In the past, they would head out to the Mix family cabin and mess around, riding jet skis and playing in the water. They would hit Dairy Queen or a movie, always together.

Now, those gatherings are relocated, though just as frequent.

“He’s our Super Man,” said Felicia Mix, a fellow sophomore and one of the crew. “He still has that sense of humor. He’s not going to get down. We’ve just moved our get-togthers to his house, which makes it easier for him. I think he inspires all of us so much, to just live. No matter what you’re facing. And that you need your friends.”

Nick Akkerman, who said he’s known Luke “forever,” agreed.

“I remember how hard it was for all of us to hear that he was sick,” Nick said. “I’m with him all of the time, and I know he doesn’t want it to change him. I think, if he does leave us some day, he will really live on through us. We’re praying and hoping that doesn’t happen. He’s just as good a friend as anyone could ever ask for.”

So the support for Luke has spread beyond his friends, and his parents’ friends, to an entire school.

Students wear the shirts. They sell bracelets. They organize events like a staff dodgeball game that involved the entire school, and opened more eyes to Luke’s fight.

“It’s really been cool to see how [Luke] has brought us all together as a school,” said senior Brock Green. “I think, in the past, it’s been class vs. class. Now, you see us all working together. It’s made us one school again. And I think it’s because we have so much respect for him as a person.”

Often, his mother will just type one word that references the emotion surrounding Luke’s battle: “Tears.”

There are tears of joy, and tears of sadness.

“We’ve heard from so many people here in the community, and even from people out of state, who don’t even know him,” Jennifer said. “It starts with that group of friends. They were the first to spread the word, and they’re the ones who are with him every day. They keep him busy. I’ve never seen teenagers do what they’ve done for him.”

And Team Luke will roll on, and continue to grow, the more word spreads, she said.

“He’s just the kind of kid that attracts people. He was the sixth-grader at hockey games banging on the board and cheering, and people loved him for that. He’s just special,” Jennifer said.

And he’s our Person of the Year.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Cindy Weston: No longer a St. Michael resident, the former City Council member and longtime community activist helped organize St. Michael Daze and Knights, and made it the celebration we know going into a big 2012.

Blair Kelley: The St. Michael-Albertville language teacher rallied a school and community in the days and weeks after his friend and colleague, Timothy Larson, was gunned down.

Bob Derus: The St. Michael city administrator has guided the city through unprecedented growth, and has been active in causes like Rotary and racial equality. He will retire next July. 

Marcia Ziegler: The former St. Michael-Albertville School District superintendent could be polarizing at times, but also guided her institution through amazing growth and shaped the school district we know today. Now, ISD 885 is among the bottom in local tax dollars collected, but continues to rise in comprehensive test scores and overall education quality.

Tom Dawson and Roger Derham: St. Michael-Albertville United has grown the sport of soccer to reach hundreds of young people in this community, and it could add its crown jewel soon with the help of a third partner in the Minnesota Kings with an indoor soccer facility in 2012. Dawson and Derham have made the club side competitive, and are directly responsible for both the high school boys and girls teams winning the Mississippi 8 Conference in 2011.

Wayne Berthiaume: Perhaps no one has done more for local business with Berthiaume’s relentless efforts to launch Shop Saint Michael, and now his service on the St. Michael Economic Development Authority. The local, small business owner is also a proud father and grandfather.