Written by Shaun Daniels and Edited by Sharon Wong
No, we’re not talking about James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader, or David Prowse, the man behind the mask. 
It’s Max Page, who played the diminutive Sith Lord in “The Force” Volkswagen commercial that premiered during the 2011 Super Bowl. The now 7-year-old Max is set for open-heart surgery to correct a congenital heart defect. His mother, Jennifer, wrote an e-mail to Business Insider which gives a look at how Max, his brother Els and the family are dealing with the situation. Below is an excerpt of the letter with the rest available at Business Insider.
We told Max and Els [Max’s brother] Sunday afternoon. Initially, Max was crying and repeating how scared how he was. We unpeeled the layers by asking what exactly he was afraid of and tackled each issue as he could verbalize it. Blood draws, spending the night in the hospital and hurting are the big three. He was also very sad that summer would be in rest in recovery instead of playing baseball, golf and traveling. Around bedtime he asked if I would stay up with him and talk. He wanted to make a “CAN DO” list. So we wrote out all the things he can do so he could focus on those. Then he said we definitely had to “Fun Up” the house. So we went and got Els out of bed and spent the next hour redesigning each room with a theme, special rules and secret codes. In the Library (Els Room) we have to read with flashlights. On Whisper Lane (the hallway) you have to whisper. Going up the stairs you have to sing “Take me out to the ball game”. The most favorite is the garage—Explode Zone—science experiments and art projects, the messier the better.
Last night, I wanted to make sure he was doing as well as he seemed. He said, “Mom I don’t have a choice. I have to go through it. I don’t like it and it’s still scary—but I have to. So I think I might as well go through it with a good attitude.” So as we hop on Max’s coattails to go on this ride—we too, shall do it with a good attitude. Though we will still tremble with tears and have our overwhelming moments—we will focus on the “CAN DO” and enjoy our Fun Up House.
Mighty Max wants me to include one more thing—one of the lines he uses when he speaks to groups.
“Kids, if you use your FORCE and dream big, you can achieve anything. We may be small—but we’re mighty!”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R55e-uHQna0]
Feedback is always welcomed at shaun@horrorhaven.com and sharon@horrorhaven.com. Be sure to friend us on facebook, follow us on twitter @FrightChannel, and subscribe to our RSS feed so you’ll never miss any news and reviews.
Also, don’t forget to check out the The Fright Channel, the Internet’s favorite 24-hour internet horror television station.
