A community rallies around an 11-year-old boy two years after he's considered cancer-free
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Levi Buxman, who also has Down syndrome, was supported by his classmates as he rang a bell to celebrate
The child was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in November 2023
An Ohio community is celebrating a young boy who is now cancer-free after years of hospitalizations and rough moments linked to his disease.
At 9 years old, Levi Buxman was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia on Nov. 5, 2023, according to aGoFundMe.
On March 20, the now-11-year-old, who also has Down syndrome, was surrounded by students and staff at Green Elementary in Smithville after he rang his bell at Akron Children's Hospital to celebrate being cancer-free.
Levi paraded down the hallway, giving out high-fives as his classmates cheered him on, as shown in a video of his special moment broadcast byWKYCon March 26.
The fifth grader loves listening anddancing toMichael Jackson, and wore a red and black jacket that reads "Just beat it" on the back, a nod to him beating cancer.
His mother, Lauren Buxman, spoke to the news station about the day she found out about her eldest son's diagnosis, initially thinking it was the flu.
"I took him to the ER and with leukemia, they can detect it with a blood test," she told the news station. "So within a couple hours, we had a diagnosis and then he didn't come home again for 70 days."
In the GoFundMe, loved ones said his diagnosis came "wildly unexpected and sudden."
For Lauren, it was even harder to face alone because her husband Branden Buxman was away at the time. He was on the road back from a hunting trip in Colorado when she found out about Levi's diagnosis.
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In the last two years, Levi has spent nearly 267 nights in the hospital and suffered a stroke that left doctors wondering how he survived.
Outside of his medical condition, Lauren wondered if her child would ever live a normal life with friends. And then he met one — a boy named Liam in the oncology unit at Akron Children's Hospital.
"They had some kind of weird relationship where one of them would show up at the hospital and just for an acute illness and they'd end up staying for weeks and the other one would be right behind them," Lauren said of Liam and Levi's friendship.
But when Liam died in May 2025, Levi struggled with his best friend not being there when it was time to ring his bell.
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That's when his community stepped up.
"One of my biggest fears when we had Levi and got his Down syndrome diagnosis was that he wouldn't have friends, that kids would be cruel and he just wouldn't be seen," Lauren said.
"When we did the clap out, just seeing how much the kids love him and the kids were seeking him out for high fives and hugs and calling his name, it warms my heart to see that the kids see him for who he is," his mom added.
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