October 8, 2013. It was a beautiful day but here I was being rushed in an ambulance with my 14 week old son. Just 5 hours earlier I was changing his morning diaper. He had been running a fever the day before and through out the night. Although it had been a normal pregnancy, delivery, and he had just got a clean bill of health at his 3 month check up, we decided to take him to the emergency room. My husband and I never expected the road that was ahead of us.

 It started out with speculation and misdiagnosis. The emergency room doctors were trying everything to figure out what was wrong with Levi. They took x-rays, urine samples and drew blood. I was told he had high blood pressure, then it was diabetes type 2, then pneumonia and finally I heard the word leukemia. I remember calling family physicians back home in Atlanta to try to make sense of it all. Being a family of faith we immediatly fell on our face and cried out to God. We started a prayer chain and notified our family, friends, church members and pastor. We refused to accept this as a final word for Levi as doctors were saying he had only a 10% chance of making it through the night and brought in a bereavement tray of food.

 It was a 30 minute ride from Aultman hospital to Akron Children's hospital. Doctors explained that Levi needed an emergency blood transfusion. The normal white blood count is 4,500-10,000. Levi's count was 1.9 million and quickly rising. The hospitals explained they had never seen a white blood count this high. They did not believe he would survive his procedure. The risks of going forward were high. Levi could hemorrhage, develop blood clots that could cause a stroke or brain damage, or reject the new blood. No one in our family was a candidate to be a donor for the transfusion, not even his 18 month old sister.

 It was approaching midnight when the doctor entered his room in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) to perform the transfusion that would help save his life. It had been the longest day of my life but Levi would have to undergo another 10 hours of transfusion which doctors performed 1 teaspoon at a time. His blood was a pale pink because of the abundance of white blood cells which could only be removed in 5 minute increments. His liver and spline were swollen trying to accommodate the disease. His body had become rigid. The 3 IVs including one in his head and two in his groin gave the doctors access to perform treatment until a main port could be placed in his chest. I remember going to bed at 2am to put my toddler to sleep and telling God that I expected to hear a good report when I awoke. In the morning we were told the good news, Levi survived the night.

 We were now told Levi needed to begin a steroid treatment for a week while his body flushed out the remaining dead white blood cells so that he could start chemo therapy. It was very important to take the count down slowly as to avoid toxic shock. Exactly 3 weeks later, close to the end of induction (round 1 of chemo), Levi was flown by helicopter to Cincinnati Children's. Which was a 4 hour drive for us. He was in severe pain from raw insides know as mucositis and an extreme diaper rash with no skin. Although the the doctors and staff at Akron were instrumental of Levi's early stages of his treatment, the top ranked Cincinnati Children's was the best place for Levi to continue his chemo therapy.

It's been 15 months since we arrived in Cincinnati & we have never stopped praising God for everyday we were blessed to share with our child Levi. He went to be with the Lord on January 19, 2015 at 3:21pm. His fight was by far the most trying thing we've ever endured and has blessed us exponentially. Some people live 100 years and don't touch as many lives as Levi did in his 19 months of life & will continue to through the lasting impression he left on us all. He is truly a miracle child defying many odds along the way. He was full of joy & strength as he smiled through it all seamingly unaware of his infirmity. We are honored to be his parents and thankful to have had this time with him. What a beautiful testimony. Give praise to our Heavenly Father, for He is not the God of the dead but of the living. Please follow Levi's page as we will continue to glorify YHVH through his son YESHUA.

Levi knew he was loved as he still does. We miss you son

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