Born a Fighter, Levi Receives Comprehensive Care at Cincinnati Children’s for his Complex Medical Needs
Since his birth at just 25 weeks gestation, Levi has faced challenges few could imagine. The 3-year-old has spent more than 550 days in the hospital, including the first 247 days of his life in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and he’s undergone more than 30 surgeries.
But Levi is fearless and strong-willed, according to his parents, Chelsae and Tyler Stamper. Despite his complex medical needs, Levi is an active little boy who loves digging in the dirt, playing with trucks and riding his toddler-sized four-wheeler on warm summer days.
“Levi is all boy, and he is wild, fearless and a spitfire,” said Chelsae. “But he’s also smart, handsome and has the kindest heart.”
An Early Birth with Challenging Diagnoses
Levi was born in May 2020 at the University of Kentucky weighing just 1 pound and 6 ounces. There, he spent the first seven months of his life in the NICU.
Shortly after Levi’s birth, doctors at UK discovered he had esophageal atresia, a birth defect in which the esophagus (the tube that carries food and liquid from the throat to the stomach) doesn’t attach to the stomach. In addition, he had tracheoesophageal fistula, an abnormal connection between the trachea (the tube that connects the windpipe to the lungs) and the esophagus.
“There are many types of esophageal atresia, and Levi was diagnosed with the long gap type,” Chelsae explained. “He essentially had no esophagus at all, with a gap that was seven rib spaces long.”
Further testing revealed that Levi’s esophageal atresia was caused by a genetic disorder called Feingold syndrome—a rare condition with fewer than 1,000 known cases in the world. He had fused fingers, which doctors were able to separate through surgery. Doctors also found cysts on his brain.