ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WXYZ) — Eight-year-old Janek has had a lot of visits to Corewell Health's Children's hospital as of late.
"I'm really excited to have my EEG," said Janek while walking into the office.
Friday was his first time bringing along boxes of slime.
"I think, like 2,400, or something like that,” said Janek.
It’s the thing that first brought his smile back after unshakeable darkness.
"Nana gave me a slime, and I started playing with it, and I started laughing," said Janek.
It's been seven months since a gunman opened fire at a splash pad in Rochester Hills where he was spending time with family.
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"I was shot in the head, and now I'm blind," he says.
His mom, Johanna Bebout, and four-year-old brother, Julen, were also shot.
“Very soon after the incident, I was just at rock bottom. And really my kids were the ones who pulled me out of the sand inspired me,” said Johanna Bebout."Janek was the one who told me, 'Mommy, don't be too sad about it' because I was grieving a lot for his eyesight, and he was the one who brought me out of this, and he was the one who told me to let go because he said, 'Don't be too sad, I'm still having fun, I'm still myself.' We're still all here."
Janek’s belly laugh from the sound of the fart slime was hope they needed.
"That sounds like a daddy fart,” laughed Janek while playing with the toy.
That joy was contagious.
"Even though he was going through such a hard thing, he brought laughter, and he brought smiles to every nurse and every doctor and every surgeon that walked into his room and took care of him, and it just made you want to keep going back,” said Amanda Lefkof, Certified Child Life Specialist with Corewell Health Children’s.
It's why his Nana, Barb Soffin, wrote a letter to Santa asking him for helpers to collect this laughter in a cup. The community came through, and Janek’s laughter was born.
"It's not going to win. This is our success. By laughing today and having fun with slime, might be simple to some people, it's actually everything to us,” said Barb Soffin.
Now Janek’s sharing his laughter with other kids in the hospital.
"They can fart with it if they want or squish it. I just want to put a smile on every kids' face," said Janek.
He’s getting help from his child life specialist, who was by his side when he woke up.
"I think our favorite this is being able to see our patients come back doing well, and so, not only is he coming back just rocking it with his cane and feeling really good, but wanting to give back to other children who are going through a hard time. It's such a meaningful full-circle moment," said Lefkof.
Seven months after the unthinkable— Janek is navigating life without his eyes —practicing echolocation and spreading joy wherever he goes.
"My message is that beautiful things can still come out of tragedy," said Johanna Bebout."We had been given a second chance at life, and we're so incredibly grateful to the lord and to having this chance."
