Family of Johnson County teen known for ‘Ant-Man’ wheelchair is hit hard by COVID-19
It wasn’t long ago that Lon Davis spent some 50 hours transforming his son’s wheelchair into a larger-than-life ant mobile, garnering the attention of “Ant-Man” star Paul Rudd.
Now, he’s “just trying to stay awake” as the coronavirus courses through his body, leaving him exhausted.
The holidays are going to be harder this year as families make tough decisions not to travel to see one another because of health guidelines. It’s made even harder with parents, grandparents, sisters, and brothers lying sick in hospital beds. For Davis and his family, even a tradition as wonted as baking cookies for Santa will have to be put on pause.
Then there are those who have lost loved ones this year.
Davis’ son Reese was born with cancer in 2005 and spent much of the first year of his life in the cancer center at Children’s Mercy. In the years since, the family has stayed connected to Children’s Mercy. After Reese’s first year in the hospital for cancer treatment, every Christmas the family would donate a single toy to the hospital. In 2014, Reese launched a toy drive and collected 84 toys. The next year it grew to 420 toys.
Even amid the pandemic, the family was able to donate 150 toys this year.
In 2017 Davis modeled his son’s wheelchair after Ant-thony, a beloved character from the movie “Ant-Man” and one of the ants the superhero rides when he shrinks down. Rudd loved it.
“Truly it was really impressive,” Rudd said at the time. “I have his picture in my office as Ant-Man.”
Rudd, who grew up in Overland Park, is one of several hometown celebrities who host the annual Big Slick Celebrity Weekend fundraiser — a celebrity softball game, bowling tournament and auction to benefit Children’s Mercy. The two got to hang out on the red carpet during the fundraiser in 2017, with Reese sporting the Ant-Man suit and helmet in his decked out wheelchair.
Davis typically creates dozens of elaborate wheelchair decorations and custom costumes for children with special needs every year. This year, however, most of Davis’ wheelchair projects were canceled because of COVID-19.
And now, the virus has made its way into his home, hitting both Davis and his wife, Anita.
After a trip to the emergency room last week, they were able to return home and stay isolated from their two children.
Anita Davis’ condition, however, worsened and after she began struggling to get enough oxygen she was admitted to the hospital Sunday.
“It’s going the wrong direction,” Davis said.
Every time she exerts any energy — even getting up to go to the bathroom is difficult — her oxygen levels plummet.
“The kids are scared,” Davis said.
The family has been able to connect with her through texts and calls, but Davis said video chats haven’t been successful because his son doesn’t like seeing his mom hooked up to oxygen.
Davis tested positive for coronavirus on Dec. 10, and his wife’s diagnosis came just two days later.
That left Reese, a 15-year-old freshman at Olathe Northwest High School, in charge of looking after his 8-year-old brother, Callen, a second-grader.
“He’s been really good at keeping his brother busy,” Davis said. “They are getting more video time than they typically do.”
They do get outside though. The boys have spent a lot of time playing with the two “COVID puppies” the family got during the pandemic. Rey was named after the “Star Wars” character, and Hope was named after The Wasp character in the “Ant-Man” movies.
As the threat of the virus continues, the holidays have presented a new set of challenges. Health experts and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have urged people to limit gatherings and avoid traveling for the holidays. Johnson County has added more than 730 new COVID-19 cases since Sunday, bringing the county’s total to 31,722. It has also added 25 deaths this week.
Davis said the emotional toll hasn’t hit him yet.
“I’m just trying to physically get better,” he said. “But I do see my kids and I feel bad that this isn’t the Christmas that they had hoped for or that they were looking forward to, but still trying to make it the best that I can with what I can do.”
Davis said he appreciates o many people stepping in to help, bringing over food and sending messages of support. It was unclear if Anita Davis will be home for Christmas, but Davis said they will still celebrate together in some way in case she isn’t.
His message for the holiday season is simple: Take care of one another.
“I know quarantine isn’t fun — we’ve had it for months, but this is a time to spend with your family especially with the holidays,” he said. “Enjoy it.”
This story was originally published December 24, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
