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Teen diagnosed with leukemia surprised by city's kind gesture

Saturday, Sulley was surprised by local law enforcement and first responders in an effort first started by his grandmother.

Photos: Mande Menne

A Wentzville mom wants to help her son take his mind off being sick after he was recently diagnosed with leukemia.

Mande Menne’s 15-year-old son Sullivan or “Sulley” was diagnosed with leukemia on June 13.

Menne says her family had been fighting the stomach flu together, but Sulley seemed to get more ill by the day. The doctors discovered Sulley had lost 10 pounds in just a short time and sent him to the emergency room for tests. From the hospital, an ambulance rushed him to Children’s Hospital in St. Louis where he was admitted to the pediatric ICU.

“The type of leukemia he has is very treatable and is the type they have the most research on and they treat the most frequently. It will be a long journey ahead, approximately nearly four years overall. We will be at Children's Hospital for a month before Sulley gets a break from treatments and gets to go home for a while. Sulley is a rock star, we've known that all along and I have no doubt he will kick leukemia's ass,” Menne says.

On Saturday, Sulley was surprised by local law enforcement and first responders in an effort first started by his grandmother. She had the idea to collect postcards from all 50 states to help keep his mind off being sick. Her Facebook post has been shared over 600 times.

"Hey, how are you, Sulley? I'm Chief Kirk Chris. I'm with the fire department," said Chief Chris of the Wentzville Fire Department. "How are you doing?"

Sulley is a fan of law enforcement, but he didn't expect his city's fire and police chief to show up to his door -- lights flashing and all.

"We saw the [5 On Your Side] news piece about Sulley when they were trying to get postcards sent to him from all over the country and all over the world," said Chief Chris. "That got our attention, that got the mayor's attention, so we as first responders decided to come together to bring this together, surprise him and hopefully lift his spirits."

With one smile and two words, Sulley summed up how all the kind words, wishes and love made him feel.

"Really good."

If you're interested in sending postcards, his address is:

Sulley Menne
799 Autumn Bluff Ln.
Wentzville, MO 63385

To follow his journey, check out his Facebook page, or donate to his medical costs here.

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