There is a young six-year-old boy named Levi Mayhew who lives in Ohio. He is very sick, with a terminal genetic disorder that has made it impossible for him to travel. The backstory is that the Make-a-Wish Foundation offered Levi a trip to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Because he was too ill to travel, he asked if his best friend could go in his place – she’d been a great support to him & of course MaWF said ‘yes’. It was Emma who cooked up the idea to make a flat, colour cut out of Levi, laminated it and took it everywhere she went.
Hearing about this story, my employer acquired a set of “Levi’s” and encouraged its employees (our awesome CEO even takes him on business trips) to take Levi on a vacation. Being a former cast member, a fan of travel and clearly touched by his story, it was a no brainer to take Levi with us to Europe.
While not all monuments we visited allowed me take in my backpack (so he had to stay behind) and it was not practical to take him up to the top of the Aiguille du Midi (it’s pretty windy at 3,842 metres) & the Flat version IS cardboard after all or appropriate (does a six year old really need to see the brothel at Pompeii?), we tried to bring him along as often as we could and capture our adventure – and his. And, I’m pretty sure when he did stay back at the hotel, he was the reason our room looked like chaos when we got back. I’m mean, we can’t possibly be THAT messy all on our own…
His story is both sad and amazing and I strongly encourage you to read the links that follow to learn more about Levi’s story and maybe add some travels of your own to his map.
It is a great privilege to have the time, means and health to travel and explore, something this little boy won’t experience in his own lifetime, but he and his family are sure enjoying traveling with others!
Read this article on the Make-a-Wish Foundation website and to see where he’s “been”, check out this map of the world. He’s on Facebook too, as a #topic here and with a Page “Loving Levi” you can Like and follow here!
Wishing Levi our best and the time to continue to enjoy these travel stories. We are proud to support Emma’s challenge and had a great time on the road with the feisty little guy!
Astrid aspired to eat her body weight in Pain au Chocolate. Flat Levi just wanted a bite.
Our first full day in France – completely jet-lagged – we tackled Versailles. Levi was cheerful through that 13 hour day and even posed with me at the palace gates before we left.
Flat Levi & I in Chamonix, France, posing with Mer de Glace. He too was amazed at how the glacier advances and recedes. To learn more on that, check out Astrid’s blog post.
A visit to Chamonix, France would not be complete without a photo of Le Dru. Flat Levi & I checked that off our list.
While he didn’t make it to the top of Aiguille du Midi, he insisted we take him to the top of the Glacier Mountain Paradise in Zermatt (over 12,000 ft), Switzerland. Although we were not able to get a glimpse of the Matterhorn that day due to poor weather, with a very firm grip, we got this panoramic shot for his Swiss photo album.
Flat Levi in Chamonix, France with Aiguille du Dru
Flat Levi in Chamonix, France with Mer de Glace
Levi thought the Colosseum in Rome was huge! And a small group of school kids visiting that day found him just as fascinating. One little boy asked me about his story and gave him a “High Five”!
Astrid told me small children (including her own) always want to ride at the very front of the bus. While we did not indulge Flat Levi in this request, he did have an awesome time sight seeing from the Hop on Hop off bus in Rome.
And a visit to Rome would not be complete without a stop at the Pantheon. Levi was amazed to learn from Astrid that the roof of the Pantheon is a “mathematical marvel” and perfectly measured.
Maps & Flip Flops 