Annual fund donors: investing in pediatric care
Every child deserves the opportunity to grow, heal, and thrive. At Corewell Health Children’s, more than 200,000 children receive pediatric inpatient, outpatient, and emergency care each year. The support of annual fund donors helps ensure our specialized pediatric teams can meet the unique needs of these young patients while advancing life-changing programs that bring hope, healing, and comfort to families across our region. Here, we share the story of Levi, one of these patients:
One night, while on family vacation in the Outer Banks, Levi Kneisler woke up in tears. The four-year-old explained to his parents that his ankle hurt, and the following day, they noticed unusual bruising on his knuckles.
When they returned home, Levi’s parents scheduled an appointment with his primary care physician. Bloodwork ruled out any infection Levi may have contracted at the beach, but the tests revealed atypical cell counts, prompting a referral to pediatric hematology oncology at Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital, where his labs were redrawn two days later.
Within the hour, Dr. Marie Nelson informed the family that their tests confirmed abnormal levels and that Levi would be admitted to the hospital. Later that night, he was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
Levi spent the next ten days in the hospital, where he had a port placed and began frontline chemotherapy. Despite the many challenges associated with his treatment, Levi has remained brave throughout the process.
“He faces each day with strength and resilience well beyond his years,” said his mother, Jamie.
Living in St. Clair County, the Kneislers commute more than an hour each way for treatment in Royal Oak. But they have created small routines to make their trips more enjoyable: hash browns and chocolate milk before appointments and visits with his grandfather on the way home.
Though cancer treatment remains a major part of his life, Levi is not defined by his illness.
“He is such a laid-back, affectionate little boy with a big curiosity for how things work,” said Jamie. “He loves anything involving tools — taking things apart and doing his best to put them back together — and he’s especially into trucks and construction equipment.”
Levi, now five, entered the maintenance phase of treatment earlier this year and returned to school this fall.
Said Jamie, “We’re just taking things one step at a time and letting him heal while being the little boy he loves to be.”
Donors to Corewell Health Children’s play an important role in helping us provide young patients like Levi with the compassionate and innovative care they deserve.