Shelley community welcomes home 9-year-old after final chemo treatment
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SHELLEY — Dozens of community members, officers and firefighters gathered in the pouring rain to welcome home a 9-year-old boy who completed his last round of chemotherapy.
Maverick Searle, who’s in the fourth grade at Sunrise Elementary School in Shelley, was diagnosed in February with medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor, and was airlifted to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.
A few days into his stay at Primary Children’s, the tumor was removed, and that was when his chemo treatment began.
Kayleigh Searle, Maverick’s mom, told EastIdahoNews.com that since March, her son has had to go down for a few days for treatment. His return home marked the end of his chemotherapy.
Kayleigh posted in a Facebook Group that she has been documenting Maverick’s journey. She told more than 700 followers that Maverick was coming home and asked people to come out and celebrate.
“We love our town, we love our community, and we’re just grateful that everyone showed up,” Kayleigh said.
The Shelley Police Department escorted Maverick and his father, Randy, to the elementary school, where a group of community members waited for him.
Nearly a dozen emergency vehicles blared their sirens. An American flag was hoisted as the rain came down. Members of the Shelley Grid Kid Football team were also there to support their teammate as he came back home.
Maverick told EastIdahoNews.com that he is thankful to the community for their support on his journey.
Kayleigh said that from here on out, Maverick’s health will be monitored, and they hope his next scan comes back clear. She said the tumor is most likely to return within the first five years.
Until then, she is grateful that this chapter of Maverick’s life is coming to a close and that they can focus on being together again.
“It’s been a wild, wild, wild, wild, wild, wild ride, and there have been so many people and organizations that have made it a lot easier,” Kayleigh said.
