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LAST TIME "one in a million" Levi featured on Born Different, he was 11 years old. Now, having just turned 18, truly returned to catch up with Levi and his parents, Dona and Joseph. Born with an ultra-rare form of dwarfism called Jansen's metaphyseal chondrodysplasia (JMC), Levi's bones throughout his body are affected - as mom Dona describes it: "The bones grow what we call 'wonky'." As a result, in the years since we last saw Levi, he has had major surgeries to his spine and legs that were "painful and hard." One of the surgeries even involved breaking his femurs to fit metal rods and fuse his legs straight. Levi has faced many months of gruelling post-surgery rehabilitation and even had to learn to walk again "3 or 4 times." But Levi has overcome all these challenges and an upcoming drug trial offers renewed hope for his future and the future of other people living with JMC. While he waits, he is busy enjoying the outdoors - and, being a keen fisherman, a GoFundMe has been set up to help him achieve his dream of catching a fish in each of the 50 US states. Despite the "degenerative" nature of Levi's condition, his dad, Joseph, points to the fact that "he never complains, he just ploughs on through... And usually with a smile on his face." And you would not bet against Levi's defiant promise to "keep on pushing" - as Dona states: "He's a fighter. This condition probably picked the strongest kid to head up on."
Donate to Levi's GoFundMe: gofund.me/b9bed96a
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/ littlelevi
/ golittlelevi
/ golittlelevi
/ littlelevi
Videographer: Rajah Samaroo
Producers: Tom Buckman, Kim Nguyen, Courtney Buabeng, Emika Berry
Editor: Alex Saunders
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19 апр 2024
