Hope at Christmas

Meeting Santa at Christmas is exciting for most children, but for five-year-old Levi Robertson, meeting Santa is extra special. A few years ago, Seth and Jill Robertson did not know if their son would have another Christmas.

At only nine months old, Levi was diagnosed with leukemia. “It was Memorial Day weekend 2017,” his grandmother, Kim Anderson explained. Levi had been born in August 2016. He had chemo for two years at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta - Scottish Rite Hospital. “In 2019, just before he was supposed to ring the bell the next week, he got sick with Epstein-Barr Virus,” Anderson said. The virus the little boy’s body was fighting created a new kind of cancer cells- Central Nervous System lymphoma, a form of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Anderson said they were told CNS lymphoma is very rare and the doctors had never seen it in a child. Her grandson had a high fever and his sodium dropped drastically; he had a seizure and became very sick, then went into a coma for about six weeks. Once again, he had to endure chemo-this time for seven months.

“By the time he came out, he had to learn to walk, talk and eat all over again,” she said. “At first they did not know he had the other cancer. They called multiple doctors and ran lots of tests.”

Anderson continued. “They told us he may be a vegetable, but we are thankful his personality outweighs his hyperactivity.” she laughed. “We say he came back with a little bit of Jesus in him. He tells everyone, ‘Jesus took my port out.’” Little Levi loves to hug everyone he meets and has a hard time containing his enthusiasm. Sensory overload often makes it hard to control his exuberance and his family finds themselves sharing his story when Levi cannot be still to wait in line or wants to run around among the crowds.

“Levi gets overly excited about all of Christmas,” Anderson explained. “The Christmas lights, the parade, and meeting Santa. He has met Santa three times this year. Every time, he has been overly excited.”

Anderson added, “His healing was all God. Levi being here is a miracle from the Lord. Levi was on Times Square once because someone chose him to be the focus of their cancer awareness.”

Levi’s older sister, Lexie, was three when her little brother was diagnosed with leukemia. She did not get to see him for weeks after his seizure, but she never gave up hope. “She told everyone God was healing her brother,” Anderson said. “She walked around singing ‘My God’s not dead, he’s healing little Levi.’” When Lexie did get to visit her brother, she prayed for every child in the ICU and continues to pray for them.

Levi Robertson lives in Towns County and attends pre-K at Towns County Schools. Anderson said he had attended a private preschool, but they could not care for him since he requires so much attention. Now, she and his mother take turns caring for Levi when he is not at school because he has to be watched closely. “We held him back a year because he could not communicate well, even with his teachers,” she said. “Levi is super smart. He does well at Towns County Schools with the help of the special education teachers, speech therapists, occupational therapists and physical therapists. They have been a blessing with how well he is doing in school. He was even able to help the children sing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ in the church play this year for the first time.”

Until recently, he had to be checked by his physicians every three months since his last cancer battle. He is now considered in remission and is going to survivor’s clinic every six months. He will be considered a survivor when he has been in remission for five years.

Kim Anderson spoke for the whole family when she ended, “We are thankful and blessed. On those really hyper days, when he is over the top, he is a challenge. But we are thankful for that challenge. It is an honor to share our story of hope and love at Christmas.”