Pokemon and playgrounds. Two months ago, that's what 6-year-old Michael Allen's life was all about.
The silver-haired Ellen Woodside Elementary kindergartner is best known by his teacher for his empathy for other students and the intense activity bursting through a small frame and shy, quiet demeanor.
At his family's Honea Path home, he often burned the energy inside him by vacuuming. "He loves a clean house — especially vacuuming," said his mother, Tammy Allen. "He loved to vacuum."
Now Michael doesn't have the time to think of those things. He struggles to communicate through a barrier of pain killers as he battles to breathe with the one working lung that survived pneumonia.
He's fighting for his life against a rare immune-deficiency disease called Chediak-Higashi Syndrome, a genetic disorder signified by Michael's albino pigmentation. But he's not fighting alone — the community has rallied around him.
After a "pretty amazing" recovery, Dr. Michael Avant said Michael is gaining ground in his fight. Surprisingly, Avant said, Michael should be able to go home in a couple of weeks.
More infections will come, though, and a trip to Duke University for a bone marrow transplant is his only hope. Throughout the ordeal, his mother and father struggle to stay by his side while facing the demand of caring for two younger children, ages 3 and 17 months.
Tammy Allen stays at Greenville Memorial Hospital 12 to 15 hours a day, holding Michael's hand as he is weened from a respirator. Nick Allen stops by to comfort his son during the day before working nights.
"It's really rough, but I'm trying to be in there and hang strong," Tammy Allen said. "My husband is trying to work as much as he can."
The community around Michael has joined in his fight.
At Ellen Woodside, children are bringing their allowances — penny by penny — and throwing it into a jar, said Michael's teacher, Kim Gray. So far, the school has raised $1,127.
Gray organized a blood drive to help with Michael's transfusions. Ellen Woodside netted 93 donors, Fork Shoals Elementary 34 and Greenbriar 27.
Wednesday, Hampton Inn on Pelham Road near Interstate 85 will buy pizza for all Ellen Woodside students to reward them for giving up their allowances. And the teacher who raises the most money will get a free weekend stay in one of the hotel's jacuzzi suites.
If you talk to Michael's teacher, it's not hard to see why people want to help him.
"If it was raining outside, he was the sunshine when you came in," Gray said. "The playground's not the same without him."
