ALEXANDER, Ark. — If you are an avid THV11 viewer, then you know 10-year-old Louie for his incredible way of making people smile even as he faces some of life's biggest challenges.
Seven months ago, doctors never thought 10-year-old Louie would be here.
"We're just thankful for every day and every moment we get. When its good days we celebrate and when it's bad days we still celebrate," Louie's mom Kristy Schneider said.
Louie has a chromosomal abnormality and autonomic dysfunction. He struggles with his cardiovascular system and GI tract. But doctors still cannot figure out exactly what is wrong.
"No one is willing to guess anymore, no one really knows what his body is going to do," Kristy said.
Louie just returned home from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He spent three weeks seeing multiple doctors and getting multiple tests.
"We came back with a lot more information than we had and made adjustments to medications and things like that," Kristy said.
But Kristy said his time at the clinic was more than just a hospital visit.
"I feel like it expanded our team of people in his corner fighting for him," she said. "He got to meet the police chief and the mayor and the FBI and lots of neat folks."
Kristy said eventually he will make a trip back for more testing.
"When we left Mayo their comment to us was, 'we would love to be able to see him again, that’s our greatest hope is to see him in a few months and to see him doing well,'" Kristy said.
And while he is back home in Arkansas, Louie is undergoing lots of therapy and even learning how to swim.
"We just make the most of every day and follow up and on what the doctors tell us to do," Kristy said.
Louie also still has a passion for police officers. On Thursday, two New York City officers paid him a visit.
"In their nice honor guard uniforms, came over for thirty minutes and just got to know him," Kristy said.
While Louie continues to fight his battle, he will always be seen doing it with a smile.
"We were told many times in the last seven months that he wouldn't be here by many doctors and thankfully they don't count his days, the lord does," Kristy said.
"He's defied the odds and he continues to fight and we're going to do everything we can to help him fight as long as possible."