(STORY IMAGE:KHQ.COM)
SPOKANE, Wash. - A four-year-old local boy continues to fight for his life after a flu diagnosis earlier this month. On Sunday evening, his family told KHQ he remains on life support.
Randy and Jill Kimberling said it all started with fever. Little Levi's condition quickly worsened to Pneumonia and Influenza B. Randy said his son has not been concious since February 12th.
"His lungs are legitimately not making any air or creating any air for his body," he said. "That's why he's on this machine so he can rest his lungs."
Randy said the strength of his son has amazed everyone.
"He's definitely a little fighter," he said. "They told us, and continue to tell us, if he wasn't as healthy as he was going into this and his heart wasn't as strong as it was, we wouldn't be having this conversation. He wouldn't be here."
Randy said the family is continuing to ask our community for prayers, not just for Levi, but for all the children on the PICU.
"All we can do right now is wait," he said. "Prayers are so important, obviously."
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Randall and Jill Kimberling didn’t think it would happen to their child. But on February 4 their four-year-old son, Levi, started to fill ill.
“We were the parents who looked at him and said ‘that wouldn’t happen to our child. He’s super healthy and super energetic’,” said Randall. “To watch him lay there and not move is hard.”
By February 5, Levi’s fever reached 99 degrees. The next day it was 104.2 degrees.
“He’s a super tough little four-year-old,” said Randall. “He’s literally a rubber ball inside a blender. The kid is awesome.”
The Kimberling’s say they took Levi to Rockwood when his fever surpassed 104. They say doctors there told them he had the flu and needed to continue to take Tylenol and get rest.
But after a few days went by and Levi wasn’t getting better, the Kimberling’s rushed their son to the Emergency Room at Holy Family. Doctors there took an x-ray of Levi and had him sent immediately to Sacred Heart via ambulance.
“In one way or another when your kids are here your world stops,” said Randall. “It stops rotating, it stops revolving, and you become different then what you were before.”
Levi’s fever turned into strep throat, which turned into pneumonia. The lung infection eventually forced doctors to put Levi on a ventilator.
“The hardest thing is not blaming yourself,” said Jill. “Not taking him sooner or not pushing the doctor to do x-rays for me. I’m struggling with that because I feel if I would have brought him in a day sooner or pushed the other doctor maybe a little harder he wouldn’t be here, he’d be in a better situation.”
Since February 10, Levi has been fighting for his life at Sacred Heart. Several complications documented on the families GoFundMe page have followed since, leaving the Kimberlings wondering if their son will pull through.
“I don’t think there are words that have ever been created that can describe the emotional roller coaster that we go through,” said Randall. “He’s got a super strong heart, that’s what the doctors keep saying. He’s got a super strong heart and he’s fighting.”
Levi is in stable condition but he’s not out of the woods yet. His parents say he’ll be on machines that are keeping him alive for at least six more weeks.
In the meantime, bills are piling up. Everything from hospital bills to transportation and trying to put food on the table is getting expensive. If you’d like to learn more about Levi’s situation or if you want to help, visit his GO FUND ME PAGE: https://www.gofundme.com/levi-needs-your-prayers-amp-support