Levi was a funny, loving, rambunctious 5 year old little boy when his journey started. He loved Transformers, tee-ball, school, his family and friends. He also loved his chickens and getting the eggs up and his goats. 

In September of 2022 he started to tilt his head to the side. I thought it was strange but it didn't seem to slow him down. He still went to school and continued to play tee-ball, which he loved to play. After about a week I decided to take him to the doctor and they said he had strep throat and gave him antibiotics. I still wasn't happy and took him again then to be told he had a sprained muscle in his neck. After 3 more days I still wasn't happy and took him to Moses Cone Hospital in NC. There they did a scan and found he had a mass on his brain and from there we were sent, immediately, to Brenner Children's Hospital in Winston-Salem, NC. He had RSV at this time so they weren't able to do surgery until 3 weeks later. He walked in on October 14th, 2022 to have brain surgery to see exactly what he had. He stayed on a ventilator for 15 days. His brain had already began to swell before the surgery and what was supposed to be a surgery that we would stay 3 to 4 days in the hospital ended up being us staying 3 to 4 months.  He was a strong stubborn little boy because everything they tried to do to get his brain to stop swelling, his body said no to. He had to have more of everything! After getting off the ventilator, the radiation and therapy began. We had made the choice that we wouldn't continue with any other trials because we wanted him to have quality of life instead of quantity. I am thankful everyday for a husband and family that supported and were in unison on his treatment.  We couldn't see putting him through trials that would make him sick and to only give him a few more months. He liked being able to be home and have visitors and go to his favorite place, Target.  

He had 30 sessions of radiation and started therapy to function again. He was on steroids that changed his appearance, which he at 6 realized oh too much. We were able to make it home by Christmas and he started therapy to try and walk again. He was determined to walk, the old way as he would put it. He was in a wheelchair from the time he had surgery till the day he passed away but did learn to walk again with a walker. He surpassed all what the doctors thought he would do according to his scans, and we know only the Lord allowed that to happen. In March 2023 I noticed he was having trouble eating and decided to take him back to the hospital. They did an MRI and found the cancer had doubled in size and found a new spot on his spine. There it was decided to put in a shunt and a g-tube, we went home 3 days later. He wanted to be home.  Thursday night he started to breath different so we woke up my step daughter, who is a paramedic, to come in and look at him. We knew then it wouldn't be long. I called hospice and he was started on medication to help him relax. On Friday March 17th at 3:30 pm my son, my baby, my Levi passed away. We knew this day would come and that he would be forever transformed with the Lord, which is so fitting because he loved Transformers.  

The next day there had been a Cruise In Benefit for him that we continued on with because if Levi would have still been with us he would have been there! His brain, tumor, spine, cerebellum fluid and blood went to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to hopefully further the research of DIPG. Early on we had decided that we would donate him because how will they ever find a cure if we don't donate.  Unfortunately the other vital organs weren't able to be used because of his diagnosis but his eyes were able to be used, if there was the need. Throughout this whole journey our faith in God has held us. God makes no mistakes and Levi's journey on this earth was done. He has reached and touched more people in his life at 6 than most will.  It was an honor to be his mama and we were blessed beyond measure to be his parents. 

Thank you for choosing to donate to The Cure Starts Now Foundation. 100% of this donation, after credit card processing fees, goes directly towards research to find the homerun cure for cancer starting with pediatric brain cancer research.

If you would like to make a donation by mail please send a check to:  The Cure Starts Now Foundation; 10280 Chester Road; Cincinnati, OH 45215 and put the child's name in the memo.

The family receives notification of all donations made to this tribute fund automatically.