Kaleb White and family.
He enjoys playing outside and swimming in his pool and complaining that the recent rain has kept him from doing those things.
He also enjoys playing video games. Among his favorites are Spiderman and other games featuring super heros. To his family, White is now on par with the heroes on his games.
Late Sunday night, White’s 19-month-old sister, Khloe Lavalley, suffered a seizure brought on by a sudden spike in temperature. Young Khloe was in her room across from her older brother’s. White alerted his family.
“I was playing video games in the living room,” White said. “I turned off the game and started watching a movie. I got halfway through and my grandmother told me I needed to go to my bedroom.”
White did as told.
“I was watching TV in my room, and I heard something from my sister’s room,” White explained. “It wasn’t an ordinary sound. It was like a gurgle. I went to check on her. Her eyes were rolled, and she was just shaking hard and fast. I called for my grandma and she came in the room. I ran to my mom’s room and started screaming for my mom.
“They brought her to the hospital.”
White’s mother, Devin Lavalley, who had just gone to sleep, and grandmother, Yvonne White, visiting from Baton Rouge, rushed Khloe to Abrom Kaplan Memorial Hospital. Khloe’s father and White’s stepfather, Shawn Lavalley Jr., a deputy for the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office, was on patrol in Gueydan when he got the news.
“I got a phone call from my wife, who was just hysterical, telling me to meet them at the hospital,” Shawn Lavalley said. “She told me the baby was completely unresponsive. When I got the hospital (Khloe) was coming out of it but just had a blank look.
“I deal with bad stuff on a daily basis. I was crying because it is hard when it is your child.”
It was at the hospital that the moment hit White, who to that point had kept his cool.
“I was crying,” White said. “It’s hard to just watch a family member suffer.”
Khloe was back to her playful self Monday afternoon, something that brought a smile to White’s face.
“I would say she’s the best thing that’s in my life,” White said.
His mother backed that statement.
“He’s really a good big brother,” Devin Lavalley said. “He’s always looking out for her. When we first brought her home and she would cry, he would ask if we fed her and changed her. We were parenting her, and he was parenting us.
“He is really good with her.”
Sunday night could have turned out two ways for the Lavalley family. According to his mother, White helped make it positive.
“If he wouldn’t have went in her room and checked on her when he did,” Devin Lavalley said, “she would have choked on the spit she had in her mouth.
“I’m glad he went in there.”
White has a list of things he wants to be when he grows up. Among the occupations are doctor, law enforcement and joining the Army. So at some point in his future the term hero may indeed apply. Although his family begs to differ, White doesn’t feel the tag fits him at this moment.
“I’m not the real hero,” White said. “I would have been in the living room watching TV if my grandmother hadn’t told me to go to my bedroom.
“I’m just very happy that (Khloe) is alive.”
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