8-year-old Splashpad shooting survivor donates slime that restored his laugh

Last summer, 8-year-old Janek Bebout would experience a violent event that would permanently impact his world. But now that he’s discovered his humor, he wants to spread it to other kids.

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    Janek Bebout lost his eyesight after a gunman opened fire at a splashpad in Rochester Hills in the summer of 2024
    
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    While hospitalized, he found joy playing with a container of slime
    
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    He hopes to give that same joy to other kids by donating 2,400 containers of what he calls Janek s Laughter’
    

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  Janek Bebout lost his eyesight after a gunman opened fire at a splashpad in Rochester Hills in the summer of 2024
  
• 
  While hospitalized, he found joy playing with a container of slime
  
• 
  He hopes to give that same joy to other kids by donating 2,400 containers of what he calls Janek s Laughter’
  

(FOX 2):The smallest details can sometimes have the greatest impact.

A cup of slime that produced a funny sound when squeezed was the spark that changed the life of an 8-year-old kid who was shot at the Oakland County splash pad last year.

Overview:

After a shooter opened fire at a water park in Rochester Hills in 2024, Janek Bebout lost his sight. In June of last year, he was one of nine individuals hit at the Brooklands Splashpad.

Amazingly, all of the victims lived. However, the shock and repercussions of the horrific massacre are still felt by the families.

Over seven months later, Bebout is back at Corewell Children’s Hospital in Royal Oak, where he received critical care. There were 2,400 slime canisters behind him.

Reporters heard him say, “I just want to put a smile on every kid’s face,” on Friday.

The sound the squishy material produced was a major factor in Bebout’s recuperation.

“He laughed so hard and when he laughed, my son hit his knees and cried and he said, Mama, you gave me my son’s laughter back,” Bebout’s grandmother, Barb Soffin, recalled.

Johanna, his mother, won’t be shocked by the inspiration her son’s passionate creation evokes.

How he has triumphed over all obstacles in the past six months. “He is so inspiring to so many people because of how he is adjusting to his new life, which includes being blind, and his wonderful idea of giving back to the kids by donating,” she said.

What they’re saying:

Bebout can still clearly recall when he first heard the noise. Why it made him laugh so hard may not be surprising.

“When Nana gave me the slime I laughed, so I decided to name it Janek s laughter and I wanted to give it to other kids so they can laugh too and have fun in the hospital,” Bebout said.

And Bebout wasn’t the only one who laughed.

“Even the surgeons that worked on me, they all laughed,” Bebout added.

Amanda Lefkof was present during Bebout’s recuperation, despite not being a surgeon. She couldn’t resist laughing as well.

“I think I just kept coming in your room and bothering you just so I could hang out with you and we could play with the slime together,” she continued.

Look more closely:

Bebout’s slime was more than just a decorative element.

In the hopes that someone else in need of a little humor would discover it in a jar of slime, those containers will be donated to Corewell Hospital.