A few weeks after celebrating Levi’s 2nd Birthday, and welcoming a new baby brother to their family, Rebecca found a lump on Levi’s head. After being turned away at emergency they were shocked when a few days later they found a second one while reading him a story. Feeling that something wasn’t right, they were immediately sent for an ultrasound in hopes of finding an answer.

On September 20th and 21st, they were scheduled for an ultrasound, an x-ray, and an MRI. The MRI confirmed that the growths were tumours and neurosurgery was immediately scheduled for September 23rd in which they removed the tumour on his forehead to send for biopsy. The tumour had been penetrating his skull and rapidly growing. A third tumour was found by Rebecca shortly after his surgery, and following a PET scan on September 26th they confirmed a fourth on his hip.

On October 3rd, following the biopsy, the Liedtke family received the news that their beautiful little boy had cancer. Levi was diagnosed with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH), a largely unknown cancer, but a treatable one. In the days following they sat down with their oncologist and created a 6 week treatment plan for Levi, which began with surgery to insert a port making it easier for him to receive his chemo medication. On October 4th Levi received his first of six chemo treatments, the first step in his treatment which has the potential to last fifteen months. After 6 weeks of treatment they will do another PET scan to see if the tumours are shrinking and adjust their treatment plan if needed. Currently, Levi has to take up to ten medications at home daily, along with regular chemotherapy at the hospital.

As you can imagine the Liedtke family has a long road ahead of them. Aside from the obvious pain and discomfort Levi will experience throughout his cancer journey, he will likely lose his hair, gain weight, experience problems with motor function, and be immune suppressed. Already after a few weeks of treatment he is facing some challenging side effects from the chemo.

At a time when Levi should be his most carefree and the Liedtke family should be enjoying life as a new family of five, it breaks my heart to think that they are having to face this. If you know the Liedtke family you know their resilient strength, unwavering generosity, and above all, their commitment to their faith. I have no doubt that the Liedtke’s will get through this stronger than ever, but I hope as a community we can make things a little easier for them as they face their new reality over the next year. Money raised will go towards chemo medication, respite care for them in their home, and anything else they may need to ease this transition.