April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
TROY TO ROME
Landon looks back at meeting pope
Troy sixth-grader's Make-a-Wish granted
Landon looks back at meeting pope
Landon had prepared some words to say to the pope, but, standing in front of the pontiff, he found he couldn't say a thing.
In retrospect, the sixth-grader from Sacred Heart School in Troy thinks that's fine. The pontiff blessed him, kissed his head and continued on, blessing the rest of the LaChance family and then others waiting for the same chance to meet the pope.
Landon and his family got to travel to Italy through the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Landon, who has neurofibromatosis, was granted his wish to be blessed by Pope Francis after his last MRI showed some frightening changes.
NF, as it's called, is a genetic disorder that causes tumors to form on the body's nerve tissues. Mary LaChance, Landon's mother, said that her son has been traveling back and forth between Boston and the Albany Diocese for MRIs every six weeks or so since he was very young to monitor the progress of his condition.
Dream come true
Mrs. LaChance was the one who nominated Landon to have a wish granted through the popular organization. Make-a-Wish says it makes a dream come true every 35 minutes for a child with a life-threatening condition.
The process only took about three months. Landon weighed two options: going to Atlantis -- though it would be difficult to visit the legendary lost continent -- or asking the pope to bless him.
Landon quickly decided that he wanted to meet the pope. He hoped a papal blessing would help in healing his tumors. Make-a-Wish obliged by sending the entire LaChance family -- Landon; his parents, Jason and Mary; and his siblings, eight-year-old Charli, two-year-old Jaycee and one-year-old Jaxson -- to Italy.
"To be honest, I thought we were going to go to Disney," Mrs. LaChance told The Evangelist. But Mr. LaChance said the choice was "a no-brainer: We got a lot more out of a trip to the Vatican than we ever would have gotten at Disney World."
Teary parishioners
Landon learned at Mass on July 31 that his wish had been granted. He was on the altar at Sacred Heart, serving Mass with Rev. Robert Powhida as he does most Sundays, when the announcement was made.
"There wasn't a dry eye in the church," Father Powhida told The Evangelist.
Landon laughs now about that day: The majority of his extended family was at the liturgy, but they told him they were just there to pray about surgery his grandmother had undergone a few weeks prior.
"My grandma lied to me," as did his parents, said a giggling Landon.
The LaChances had only expected that Pope Francis might send a video greeting or something similar. Instead, the family found themselves leaving for Italy Sept. 4, just one day after the canonization of St. Teresa of Kolkata.
Traveling to a foreign country with four children under the age of 12 is difficult, the LaChances learned: Little Jaxson's passport was left at the airport in New York and the Italian police had to help recover it. Transportation was a chore for such a large family; they did a lot more walking than they'd expected. Napping schedules for the youngest children were thrown off.
Big trip
However, during their week in Italy, the family stayed at the Hotel Giulio Cesare, which is just blocks away from Vatican City. They visited the Vatican nearly every day of their trip, as well as the Lazio region's historical monuments and landmarks like the Colosseum.
The LaChances met a man from Boston who was in Italy for Mother Teresa's canonization, having met the Albanian-born saint and worked with her on several mission trips. The man held a picture of himself and St. Teresa over Landon's heart, hoping the boy would "get what he needed" on his trip.
The LaChances enjoyed a tour of the Sistine Chapel, learning about famed artist Michelangelo's struggles with Popes Julius II, Clement VII and Paul III over the subject matter of the artist's work, as well as his volatile temperament.
Meeting Pope Francis, everyone agreed, was the highlight of the trip. It happened in the middle of their visit: At a service for the sick, the pope entered the room and zoomed around the aisles on a small cart. The LaChances said they were immediately overwhelmed.
The pontiff read the Gospel and came around to bless pilgrims. "I was nervous," Landon admitted, saying that he wanted to thank Pope Francis, but couldn't speak. "He put his hands on my head and kissed it."
The pope blessed the entire family, which none of them were expecting.
"It was all tears," Mr. LaChance said.
Processing the moment
Afterward, the family was able to spend some quiet time alone in St. Peter's Basilica, something they said they wouldn't forget. When they left St. Peter's, there were lines of people waiting for hours to get in, and "we had it all to ourselves," Mr. LaChance said.
"It didn't seem real," Mrs. LaChance added.
The whole family said their faith was enriched by the experience.
Arriving home after their whirlwind week, the family carried rosaries, crucifixes and a small white cassock and stole for Landon, so he could dress up as a priest. They found a TV news crew in their front yard.
Jet-lagged, the children missed another day of school that Monday, but were greeted with big welcome-home banners when they returned to class. Charli said she felt like the most popular girl at Sacred Heart and that she'd do the whole thing over if she could.
Landon was just excited to see his friends, tell them all about his adventure and give his classmates the crosses he bought them in Italy.
Mrs. LaChance hopes the pope's blessing will help to reduce her son's tumors. He has an MRI scheduled in a few weeks.[[In-content Ad]]
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