Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/498400
photography by Cheryl riChards (family); Courtesy of anna levitan (merritt) It is, quite simply, unthinkable. The "what if " question that no parent wants to contemplate: What if my child died? It was certainly not a question that Anna Cheshire Levitan—founder of 5th Street East Production Launch and a former executive editor of this maga- zine—and her husba nd, R icha rd, ever asked t hemselves. No, t heirs was a reasonably charmed life, raising three children in a beautiful brownstone on Beacon Street and later in the leafy enclave of Milton, where the kids attended the prestigious private school Milton Academy. Brilliant, adventurous, and unfailingly present, Merritt, their oldest daughter, was "extraordinary," Anna says. She was not only a top student, but also an editor of the school newspaper, a four-year varsity athlete on the ski team, and a co- captain of the tennis team. Despite having been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 7, "she never let any obstacles stand in her way," her mother adds. Merritt had set her sights on a cross-country bicycle trip the summer after g raduating from high school. She t rained during the spring of her senior year, biking some 500 miles and, working with the Joslin Diabetes Center, creating a t raining log for fellow diabetics who might harbor similarly ambitious dreams. In the summer of 2013, before heading off to Colgate University, Merritt met her parents in Georgia (where they were getting ready to relocate), and they drove her to the airport in Charleston, South Ca rolina, where t he bike t r ip would beg in. "We sa id goodbye at the airport on June 18th," Anna recalls. "I wasn't even nervous. She wa s so competent , so physica lly able. I just didn't t hink about t he potential dangers." "I'm going off the grid—I am so excited," Merritt posted on Facebook. There would be no cell phone, no texting, no social media of any kind. "I'll text you in six weeks." In an Instant In the late afternoon of July 2, Merritt and 13 other bikers—clearly announcing themselves with brightly colored shirts and f lags whipping in the air above their bicycles—were peddling along a straight, f lat road in the middle of Arkansas. With cornfields unfurling around them for miles, they were visible to all. Teagan Ross Martin, a local 21-year-old, approached them in his car from behind, his eyes ping-ponging between the road and his phone. He sent a text at 4:01. Another at 4:02. One more at 4:03. And then he slammed into the bik- ers, hitting eight of them, including Merritt. He placed the call to 911 at 4:04. Two hours later, Anna's husband called her from Boston. Merritt had been hit by a car. "We might lose her," he said. Anna immediately jumped on a f light to Memphis, where her daughter had been airlifted. R ichard and their two other chil- d ren a r r ived later t hat n ight , a long w it h members of their extended family from California, Vermont, and Massachusetts. For the next 24 hours, they held Merritt's hand and talked to her as she lay unconscious on life support. "I'm a devout believer in God," Anna says, the emotion catching in her voice. "There's a part of her that knew we were there—that we know. But it was irreparable brain damage, and it became obvious that she was gone." They removed her from life support the next day. GrIef and forGIveness Bitter rage. Blind hatred. Those would be understandable reactions toward the person who killed your child. Perhaps not as understandable is the Levitans' reaction. There is sadness, of course. "I don't know pain greater than this," Anna says. But there is also grace. The Way Forward After forgiving the motorist who killed their dAughter, anna And rIchard LevItan turned their grief into A crusAde AgAinst texting while driving. by gretchen voss above: The Levitan family in their Boston apartment. left: Despite having been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 7, Merritt was an avid athlete. continued on page 68 66 bostoncommon-magazine.com PEOPLE Spirit of Generosity