04/17/2024
I cannot express enough of my many thanks to Dan Billen, Katlin Jamison, Ethan Jamison, Lyle, and Kay Parks for this amazing story. Bless you all!
I have been wanting to share this amazing story with my friends here on Facebook. Bottom line is that redemption is always bigger than your mistakes or regrets. My good friend Dan Billen put this video together (he even composed all of the music himself!) as well as this write up about this incredible experience:
As a 6th grader Walt Jamison wanted nothing more than to reach the top of the Kansas State Capitol building. Unfortunately for Walt, a recent cancer diagnosis had weakened him to the point he could only make it part of the way when visiting the Kansas State Capitol on a school field trip in 1969.
Walt's principal Lyle Parks volunteered to carry Walt back down to the bottom, but both Walt and Lyle regretted never making it to the top.
Thankfully Walt eventually made a miraculous full recovery from Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, which was considered a death sentence at the time. 54 years later, Walt and Lyle reunited to finally fulfill their dream of making it to the top of the Kansas State Capitol, together.