In a suburb of Flint, Michigan on October 5, 2007, a 15 year-old sophomore name Eli Florence was named homecoming king through the kindness of his fellow students. He was less than two weeks away from losing a four year battle with acute myelogenous leukemia. A football and baseball player, Eli touched so many people with his brave ongoing fight with a disease that had left him weak and almost unable to speak. Doctors told his mother there was little more they could do and that he had just a few weeks to live. Two stem cell transplants had not helped and he could not find a bone marrow match. He continued to receive blood transfusions, and was able to hold on long enough to be be crowned king.

The five seniors that made up the “homecoming court” at his high school in Lake Fenton, Michigan, decided to honor Eli by declaring him homecoming king. The court was made up of four football players and one member of the golf team who were candidates for king. They made a pact that Eli would get top honors instead and that there would be no open vote that year.

Eli made it to the homecoming festivities during halftime right as they were about to begin. He was almost late, as he was receiving a blood transfusion just before. He thought he would be participating as part of the sophomore court and had no idea he was about to be named king. When the announcement was made that Eli was the new homecoming king, he couldn’t believe it and said, “But I’m not a senior.”

The 2,000 people at the football game witnessing the ceremony stood to honor him, and there were a lot of tears.

There was a problem. Halftime was approaching and the king-to-be was at a local clinic receiving a necessary blood transfusion, getting energy, getting life. He was scheduled to escort his friend, Ashley Look, a member of the sophomore royal court, to midfield. He didn’t have a clue he would be the center of attention.

Barely in the nick of time, Eli, in a wheelchair, and Ashley joined the other members of the court and their parents at midfield, surrounded by the Lake Fenton band, clad in blue and white.

The public-address announcer said: “Your 2007 king, as designated by the five candidates is … is Eli Florence.”

The king was stunned.

“It’s like he heard his name, but it was sort of surreal,” his mother said.

“But I’m not a senior,” Eli told others around him. “I’m not a senior.”

The crowd of 2,000 people, including homecoming queen Brooke Hull, 17, stood. Many cried.

[From ESPN.com via ShareAGoodDeed.com]

Eli was invited to sit on the bench at the University of Michigan’s homecoming game this Saturday, but he was too weak to make it. He lost his battle with leukemia this Sunday. It was just nine days after he was crowned homecoming king by his teammates.

A memorial of sorts was held this Sunday at a benefit to raise money to help pay for his medical expenses. The spaghetti dinner catered from donations by local restaurants was planned ahead of time, and Eli had passed just hours before. Many people heard of his death for the first time at the benefit that night.

The pictures here show Eli a week before homecoming in a hoodie being honored by the football team during halftime. He is walking and wearing a striped sweater during the homecoming festivities.

Thanks to Digg for the heads up on this story and ESPN for the photos. I know this isn’t our usual type of story, but this really touched me and I wanted to cover it.