A young Aussie who captured the hearts of thousands of Australians after bravely fighting off cancer for more than a decade has died aged just 19.
Levi Tracy passed away at Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth at 9.15am on Tuesday after a two-year battle from acute myeloid leukaemia.
The disease is caused by an abnormal growth of white bloods cells which creates tumours in the body. The condition prevents the immune system from fighting germs and infection.
His father Mark, who created the Lifeline for Levi Facebook page to support his son during his gruelling health journey, announced on Tuesday that his son had died.
‘This day was never meant to arrive,’ he wrote.
‘We are broken beyond compare. We have no idea how to move forward and keep going, but we will find a way. Levi would want that.’
‘He fought a massive fight and never gave up, the mountain was just too big.’
Mr Tracy explained that doctors had struggled to stabilise him in the early hours of Monday morning before the family visited him later that day.
Levi Tracy (pictured) passed away at Fiona Stanley Hospital, in Perth, from acute myeloid leukaemia at on Tuesday morning
Doctors told loved ones that Levi didn’t have long left.
‘His lungs were no longer able to cope and his blood pressure dropped to unsupportable levels,’ Mr Tracy wrote.
‘The infection in his lungs was the cause and triggered everything else.’
Hundreds of social media users flooded the heartbreaking post with comments to express their grief.
‘I am crying like a baby for this beautiful warrior, Levi, and his beautiful family,’ one person wrote.
‘Levi was such a fighter, a true inspiration to many of us. In my eyes he is a true hero and legend,’ another person wrote.
Levi (pictured) who lived in Perth, was first diagnosed with cancer when he was just seven before the disease was detected again ten years later
‘Sending my deepest condolences to the family. My heart is shattered for you all,’ a third added.
Levi, who lived in Perth, was first diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins T-Cell lymphoma when he was just seven years old.
After enduring several rounds of chemotherapy for two-and-a-half years, he was finally in remission before he turned 10.
But Levi, who found a job as a FIFO worker before he was admitted to hospital, was dealt a cruel blow when he was diagnosed with cancer a second time at the age of 17.
His family had been trying to find a blood stem cell match so that Levi could receive a life-saving bone marrow transplant.
The procedure allows a person who is not producing enough healthy blood cells to receive the protein from a healthy person who can supply the essential fluid.
Friends and loved ones were constantly providing updates on Levi’s condition on social media.
A close family friend had set up a GoFundMe page recently to help cover some of the ongoing medical costs.
‘Levi is one of the most gorgeous and humble men you could ever have the pleasure of meeting, he has a passion for his dog, his car and the fresh air of the outdoors,’ the organiser of the fundraiser wrote.
The family of the 19-year-old (pictured left), were trying to find a blood stem cell match so that he could receive a life-saving bone marrow transplant
Almost $18,000 had been raised by kind donors.
Mr Tracy said the Facebook page would be turned into a tribute page to honour Levi’s life.
‘With broken hearts, we fight on,’ he wrote.
‘Don’t waste time.’
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