“Levi started complaining that dinosaurs were stomping in his head because his headaches were so severe,” recalls ASK mom Jessica Webb. “Then we noticed that he was losing his appetite, his vision was blurred and his balance was off, and in my heart I knew something was very wrong.” After several pediatrician visits and eventually a CT scan, Jessica’s four year old son, Levi, was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma – a brain tumor – in February 2022.
“No matter what the end of this journey looks like, I know that God is always with us and He has a plan, but those first few weeks of diagnosis and surgery were a whirlwind,” continues Jessica. “ASK was the biggest emotional support for our family from the very beginning."
"Rich Catlett, the ASK chaplain, was waiting for us when we sent Levi into surgery. We didn’t expect him, but he was there to pray with us. We didn’t know what the surgeons would find or if they could remove the tumor, but Rich was there to comfort us," remembers Jessica.
"Everyone is so present and caring."
"He has continued to follow us through treatments and in Clinic. He even feeds Levi’s new desire to tell jokes by bringing him new material to entertain us. Rich is just one example of how ASK is in this with us, walking with us on the good days and the bad. Everyone is so present and caring.”
After delicate brain surgery to remove the tumor, chemotherapy treatments and a stem cell transplant, Levi’s life is starting to return to "normal." Jessica says he’s even growing hair and eyelashes and eyebrows, a big deal for anyone finishing chemo! Levi is one of ASK’s 2022 Kourageous Kids, but he couldn’t go to the kick-off party because he is still confined to his home and wears a mask. He can’t play in dirt or mulch because he can’t be exposed to germs or bacteria. However, there are bright moments as Levi recovers. The day that Rock Solid installed a play set was the first day that Levi was able to venture into the outside world since his stem cell transplant.
"I don’t know what we would have done without this incredible organization!"
“Pediatric cancer is not just something you see on TV, it’s real and it’s right here in Richmond,” continues Jessica. “You hear of it, but you never think that it could be your child. Unfortunately, it can happen to any family, and it affects every member of the family. ASK supports our other child and my husband and me, not just Levi, and that support has been invaluable to all of us. I don’t know what we would have done without this incredible organization!”