Team Zander’s one year anniversary

Last April we brought you the heartbreaking story of a little boy who was left in critical condition, the result of alleged abuse. Now, we bring you a much happier ending: the one year anniversary of Zander Saucier’s return home from the hospital.
This weekend, family and friends celebrated the one year mark since Zander Saucier returned home from USA Women and Children’s Hospital in Mobile where he was treated for burns, a brain hemorrhage, severe bruising and other injuries sustained from alleged child abuse. Many doctors felt the boy wouldn’t survive, but Zander proved them all wrong.
For the commemorative bash, local businesses donated nearly everything needed from face painting and jump houses to free snow cones. Zander and his guests got a special visit from the Biker’s against Child Abuse organization.
Those who were there a year ago say it’s still hard to think about the day Zander was hospitalized. Nugent UMC Pastor Lance Presley said, “I was one of the three people, along with his mom and his uncle, that got to see him before they air lifted him to Mobile and on the drive over to Mobile, after that i thought we were going to be planning a funeral for him. I was planning one in my head all the way over to Mobile, but watching him out here today having a good time and being a kid and just celebrating and everyone here celebrating is one of the best answered prayers that there could be.”
Zander’s cousin, Cody Spears, says watching him bounce back has been amazing. “Now seeing him here running around with his friends, seeing him play t-ball now, coaching him and seeing him have the fun that he was having before all this has happened and to see it kind of going away more and more every day is nothing short of a miracle.”
Zander still has his ups and downs, but his mother, Emily Saucier, says words can’t describe how much the community’s support has done for her son.