SUFFOLK, Va. — After spending a month in Denver, a Suffolk family finally arrived back home.
Last month, after finishing up an Alaskan cruise, Marshall Thomas got sick at the Denver airport.
He went to the hospital and doctors diagnosed him with leukemia. Doctors kept him in Colorado for a month to get treatment.
"It started out extremely stressful in Denver. When we first got the diagnosis and realized it wasn't appendicitis, it was something a lot more serious. There's really no words to describe that type of shock," said Melissa Thomas, Marshall's mother.
"It was pretty chaotic in Colorado trying to figure out what was gonna happen the next day, next two days. Now that we're back home, it's just a sigh of relief," said Nick Thomas, Marshall's father.
With a tough road ahead, many had their backs. Marshall said he didn't realize so many people heard his story.
"It's been great. People have just been donating and helping in any way they can," said Marshall.
That support came in donations, gift cards, places to stay, help with groceries... overwhelming help for a kid tackling a huge challenge.
Marshall said he's feeling better but still has lots of doctors appointments ahead of him. But for now, it's nice to be back in Suffolk.
"It kind of surprised me that there were that many people invested in what was happening," said Marshall.