Jenalee Norris

Levi’s Services — An Update We are completely overcome by grief right now, and honestly, we are just trying to take things one moment at a time. Levi was cremated this morning, and we are currently waiting to have his remains back in our possession. There is so much to process emotionally, and the thought of planning a funeral or celebration of life right now feels incredibly overwhelming. We know so many of you love Levi and want to know when and where you can come together to honor him. Please know that we will share those details as soon as we have had the time and space to process everything and make those plans. We are asking everyone for a little patience and understanding during this incredibly difficult time. We promise that you will be informed as soon as we have information to share. Thank you for loving Levi, our family, and for giving us the grace to grieve him right now. We miss him more than words could ever express.

Levi passed peacefully, surrounded by so much love. His wife, who held him and laid beside him until his very last breath, his son Leo, his beloved doggos, and all of his siblings, both moms, dad, grandparents, nieces, nephews, aunts, and in-laws were there to surround him with love as he made his way home. Levi was truly a one-of-a-kind soul. He was an adventurer, a gamer, a brother, a husband, a dad, an uncle, a son, and a friend. He had a way of leaving his mark on the people who were lucky enough to know him, and his presence will never be forgotten. Although our hearts are completely broken, we are grateful that he did not have to leave this world alone. He was surrounded by the people and animals he loved, held close and reminded of just how deeply he was loved. Find us that golden campground, Levi. Your adventures here may be over, but we know your spirit will keep exploring. Until we meet again. Please continue to keep our family, especially his wife and Leo, in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate the days ahead. We ask for privacy, grace, and space to grieve together.

Levi is passing. At this time, we would like to have just family here with Levi so that we can surround him with love, peace, and comfort during these final moments. Please keep Levi in your thoughts and prayers—for comfort, for peace, and for a gentle passing. Please also keep our family in your prayers as we navigate these incredibly difficult moments. We are so grateful for everyone who has loved Levi, supported him, prayed for him, and walked alongside our family through this journey. Your love has meant more than we could ever put into words. Please respect our need for privacy and family time right now.

We have some very difficult news to share. After everything Levi has been through, we have made the decision to transition him to hospice care. Our hope is to bring him home tomorrow, where he can be surrounded by the people he loves and be as comfortable and peaceful as possible. This is an incredibly heartbreaking time for our entire family, and we are asking everyone to please be mindful of the grief we are experiencing right now. In particular, Nicole is carrying an overwhelming amount and is doing everything she can to navigate these moments with Levi. We kindly ask that you limit calls, texts, and messages to her right now so she can focus on Levi and their family. If you would like to come see Levi and say goodbye, please message me for my personal number so we can coordinate visits and make sure it is a good time. We want those who love him to have the opportunity to see him, but we also need to protect his peace and the family’s space during this incredibly difficult time. We are going to need a lot of help in the days ahead—whether that means helping with meals, things around the house, or simply being there for the family. Please reach out to me if you would like to help so we can coordinate without adding more to Nicole’s plate. For now, we are asking for positive thoughts, prayers, and love focused on Levi’s comfort and peace.❤️ Thank you all for loving Levi, supporting him, and giving our family grace as we walk through what are some of the hardest days we have ever faced.

Levi is back in the hospital. Just four days after being released, he had to return because he was unable to get his medications or even stool softeners down, and he was starting to feel like he could be developing another bowel obstruction. We had also started noticing that Levi was looking a little yellow, so the doctors drew labs to check what was going on. One of the things they checked was his bilirubin. Bilirubin is a yellow substance that the body normally processes and removes through the liver. When the liver is not functioning properly or something is preventing bile from moving through the body normally, bilirubin can build up in the blood. This can cause the yellowing of the skin and eyes known as jaundice. Levi’s bilirubin had been in the normal range, but it quickly rose to 2.2 and then to 6.3 overnight. The doctor that night told us that, honestly, things looked very concerning “on paper.” The following day, Levi had more labs and a CT scan. We then met with the hospital medicine doctor, who collaborated with oncology to try to figure out what was causing these changes. His bilirubin went up slightly to 6.6, but because the increase had slowed, they began looking closely at whether his TPN could be contributing. For those who may not know, TPN is intravenous nutrition. It gives Levi the calories, protein, fats, vitamins, and other nutrients he needs directly through his bloodstream when his digestive system is not able to tolerate or absorb enough nutrition. While TPN can be lifesaving and necessary, it can sometimes put stress on the liver and cause liver enzymes and bilirubin to rise, especially when someone has been receiving it for an extended period of time or is already medically fragile. Because of that possibility, they decided to stop his TPN and give his liver a chance to recover. The CT scan did not show a significant change from his previous scan, which initially sounded hopeful to us. However, the oncology doctor explained that even if there is no obvious change visible on the CT, there can sometimes be microscopic progression or changes that imaging cannot clearly show. They are concerned that something on that level could potentially be affecting Levi’s liver function. This is especially important because Levi needs his liver to be functioning well enough in order to receive chemotherapy or other cancer treatments. Many treatments are processed through the liver, and when the liver is significantly impaired, those medications can become unsafe because the body may not be able to process or clear them properly. The risk of serious toxicity and complications can become too high. Yesterday, Levi’s bilirubin rose again to 7.4. To be fair, they had only stopped the TPN a few hours before that lab was drawn, so the oncology doctor felt that it was important to give his body a little more time before determining whether stopping the TPN would make a difference. It’s the perfect storm right now because he can’t get anything down and therefore it’s hard to get the bilirubin out because typically it comes out in the stool. He is able to urinate small amounts of billi but again he’s not drinking anything by mouth and his bowels are so inflamed from the cancer there that things aren’t moving as they normally would. So right now, we are waiting on this morning’s labs and hoping so hard that his bilirubin has started to come down. High bilirubin levels are concerning not only because they can be a sign that the liver is struggling, but because when the liver is unable to properly remove substances from the blood, toxins can build up in the body. This can contribute to a condition called hepatic encephalopathy, which can affect the brain and cause confusion, difficulty thinking clearly, changes in behavior, extreme sleepiness, and other cognitive changes. That is one of the reasons we are trying to get Levi’s bilirubin and liver function under control as quickly as possible. The oncology doctor has been very honest with us that if Levi’s liver is not functioning well enough, he will not be eligible for further treatment. So, right now, that is where we are. Waiting. Watching the labs. Hoping that stopping the TPN gives his liver a chance to recover and that we can get Levi to a place where he is more comfortable and hopefully eligible for whatever treatment options may still be available to him. We have several hopeful studies in the works. At the moment, the high bilirubin and everything his body is going through have left Levi *extremely exhausted, uncomfortable, and having a difficult time cognitively. Levi asked me to let everyone know that he has been reading your messages. He sees your love, your prayers, your encouragement, and your support. ❤️ But responding takes an incredible amount of energy right now, and he simply doesn't have the ability to respond the way he normally would—or the way he wishes he could. He has so many people who love him, and while that love means everything to him, it can also become overwhelming when he feels like he cannot form a response or get back to everyone individually. So if you have a message, well wishes, encouragement, prayers, memories, or just some love you would like to send to Levi, please leave it here in the comments. I would love to read your messages to him when he is awake and able to listen. ❤️ Levi is fighting as hard as he possibly can. But he is also so very tired. Thank you all for continuing to love him, pray for him, think about him, and stand beside our family through all of this. We will update everyone as soon as we know more about today's labs. Please keep hoping with us. Please keep praying for Levi. And please leave him some love below so I can share it with him. ❤️