By Jessi Marlatt

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Max is coming home…If we can find him a home
Max is coming home to Ridgway and will be welcomed by a Surprise Parade on Saturday, Aug. 27 at 11:30 a.m.
Ridgway boy Maximus Scheutz, son of Bobbi Browner, has fought the battle with leukemia twice and “is doing as great as we could have wished for,” said Browner. She and Max will be coming home on Aug. 20.
Max has been telling his mother than he wanted to have a party when he gets home. The Surprise Parade will be followed by a Surprise Party at the Ridgway Town Park.
The parade, scheduled for the Saturday after Max returns home, will begin at the Old Fire House. Julie Ahern, Parade Coordinator, asks that people begin lining up along the edge of the park starting at the post office. The parade will be led by Max sitting on top of the old fire truck and will be followed by a procession wearing costumes and carrying banners and balloons.  
The route will pass the library, turn right toward the new fire station and continue west on Sherman Street. After the parade, Ahern invites the community to come to the

Surprise Party--a pot luck--at the gazebo and playground in the Town Park.
Ahern said, “If you want to help, or have any questions or suggestions, please call me.” Her telephone number is (970) 626-3169.
The Ridgway Sun ran an article about Max’s homecoming on June 29. For the past year Max has been living Aurora, at Brent’s Place, a home for children undergoing cancer treatments.
Browner had trouble in Aurora obtaining a “homebound” teacher for Max, and he started school a few months late last year. But as soon as she knew they would be able to come back to Ridgway she called the school.
“They got me in touch with the principal,” said Browner, “and he had a meeting with all the teachers.” It turned out that Janet Stone, Max’s kindergarten teacher, will be his homebound teacher for the second grade.
“Max already has a special bond with Mrs. Stone and I am thrilled that she will be his teacher. Yay, Ridgway School!” said Browner. They hope Max will be able to attend classes next semester but that is dependent on what his monthly treatment visits to Denver show.
Max and his mom are still looking for a home to come home to. They are in contact with one family in Ridgway that has offered Browner a care-taking position. But the final negotiations are still in the works.  
Kristen Pokky, a close family friend who was the midwife’s assistant during Max’s birth, said by phone on Aug. 8, “I have known him since the first minute.”
Pokky came from Texas in early July and spent a day at the Denver Museum of Natural History with Max. Since Max has spent so much time in Denver, he frequently goes to the museum. As he took Pokky’s hand, he told her about each dinosaur, their names, what they ate, their habitats, even what period they lived. As they wandered from one diorama to the next, Max identified every plant in each case before moving on. “He really is like a little scientist,” said Pokky.
After the museum they headed back to Brent’s Place, where Max played with his dinosaur toys. According to Pokky, Max, like so many people, does not like goodbyes. When he knew it was time for Pokky to go he rushed out of the room for a few minutes. When he returned, he was dressed with his sword, cape and Zorro mask. With a stoic wave of his arm he said, “See you Pokey, I’ve gotta go.” And he ran from the room so he wouldn’t have to experience a tearful goodbye.
Max received his bone marrow transplant two days before his seventh birthday. It was a match on only four of the six points. Max told family friend James Rost (aka “Padrino”) over the phone that he is now 100 percent donor.
Browner said, “Perfect matches are overrated.”