Doctor’s connection to boy makes a tragic death harder to bear

I am sick inside with a mixture of anger and sadness. Eight year old Levi Echenique was killed by a drunk driver (Crash victim, 8, was on way to class). And I am sick with hurt.

I am a pediatrician, and Levi was my patient. Now he’s gone, the victim of a drunk driver.

I joke that to my patients I am part doctor and part grandfather. I almost feel as if I’ve lost one of my own. The sadness I felt as I read that among the “debris” in the street was a pair of eyeglasses. Levi’s?

What a pleasant little guy; outgoing, friendly; smiling even when he didn’t feel well. Responsive, cooperative. A child with a bright future — gone.

And his killer? A trial, some attempt to … what? She will say something profound like “I’m really sorry.” Maybe even a tear. One dead child, and one shattered family. Her “sorry” won’t undo what has been done.