Levi was two months into Kindergarten when he started throwing up 1 to 2 times a week. His pediatrician said Levi had the flu, but later that month, Levi’s left eye started to cross. Levi’s mom felt that the throwing up and eye-crossing were related and asked her friend, an optometrist, to take a look at his eyes after church on a Sunday afternoon.
By 5:30 that same day, Levi was being airlifted to Children’s Hospital Colorado in Denver. Three days later, Levi underwent a 9-hour brain surgery to remove the tumor they found in his brain.
Levi was diagnosed with ATRT in November 2014 when he was just 6 years old. He endured 51 weeks of aggressive chemotherapy and radiation.
Levi, his mom, and his three siblings moved to Colorado for nearly a year during Levi’s treatment while his dad stayed home in Kansas. Levi is now 12 and has been off-treatment for 5 years.
Here’s what Levi has to say about moving to Denver for treatment: “My mom moved with me and my siblings to Denver for my chemo. My dad came and visited us every weekend from Kansas. I could not see my friends who lived in Kansas because I could not leave Denver very often. We lived in an apartment and could not keep our dog. We gave her to someone who was home all of the time. Since I finished treatment, I got another dog. Her name is Annie. She will make the best therapy dog. So far, me and Annie have completed the trick dog certification.”
Levi is in 6th grade and says that better days “mean I get to help at the ranch, play with my friends, play catch with my dog, and take trips with my family!”
When asked if Levi has anything to share with MAF supporters, he said:
“If people support MAF, they help kids like me have more. I have more birthdays, more time to train my dog, and more time to make memories.”
You can help give kids with cancer like MORE. More birthdays. More memories. More time.
