Junior rodeo stars gathered this weekend to rally for the recovery of Spencer Wright’s three-year-old son, who is fighting for his life after a catastrophic river accident involving a toy tractor.
Levi was found about a mile downstream and unresponsive when first responders pulled him from the fast-flowing creek near his home on Tuesday. He was flown to Basic Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.
The little cowboy was initially considered brain dead, but miraculously woke up from a coma. His devastated parents, Kallie and Spencer, pray for a miracle.
Many in the community are organizing fundraisers for Levi. On Saturday at the Junior Roughstock World Finals, Desert Region Rodeo, it was posted that each of the childrenrode a little extra strong for Levi Wright.’
Heartbreaking photos showed the young riders on one knee, bowing their heads with cowboy hats in hand for a moment of silence for little Levi.
The young cowboys are depicted holding their hats and kneeling on the ground in prayer for Levi
Levi Wright, 3, the son of rodeo star Spencer Wright, has been fighting for his life since his toy tractor plunged into a Utah creek and left him unresponsive
“Each of the children wore blue clothes for Levi,” the message read. “They say this is the first rodeo of the entire season where all the young, rugged riders had a little extra spirit and tried.”
On the day of the ordeal, Kallie was outside watching her son play on his tractor and ran into the house to check on her 9-month-old child.
Within that split second, Levi was out of sight. The panicked mother dived into the creek to look for her son in the raging river.
Levi’s devastated parents prepared for the worst, saying they planned to “discontinue care and hold him close until his last breath on earth.”
But Levi miraculously woke up from the coma on Thursday evening, two days after he was initially expected not to survive.
‘LEVI WAKE UP! I’m shocked, we don’t know much but the doctor said it was okay for me to get excited about that and I am! My baby is so cool!’ she said.
“He got a little wild, so we had to calm him down again, but my heart!”
On Friday they received the devastating news that an MRI showed a poor prognosis for the boy.
On the advice of a new doctor, the parents were told to give their son some time.
“We have time for a miracle!” the family wrote on their Facebook after their son woke up.
“Levi’s heart is beating on its own, he wants to breathe, but his sweet little brain was without oxygen for too long and there is no recovery,” an earlier update said.
Heartbreaking photos showed the young riders on one knee, bowing their heads with cowboy hats in hand for a moment of silence for little Levi
At the fundraiser for Levi, young cowboys are seen placing a plastic dinosaur on a barrel
During the rodeo finals, children placed small toy dinosaurs on the play equipment
T-Rex Strong Like Levi – the precious illustration was created by a family friend
Photos on social media show Kallie in her son’s hospital bed, cradling him in her arms, as his father stands nearby.
On Sunday she wrote: ‘This is an experience, I pray deep in my soul that you never have to know how I begin to know.
‘This is a rollercoaster that you go through unintentionally and blindfolded, you don’t know what’s coming. All you have to do is wait and ride out. We take it day by day.’
She talked about the type of brain injury her son could suffer, and the uncertainties that lie ahead.
‘The term ‘brain injury’ is very broad, there are different degrees and different degrees of severity. No two brain injuries are the same, even if the accident is similar. No two brains recover or heal the same.
“There is a lot that medical professionals don’t know, but what they tell you is based on legitimate medical literature and history.”
Kallie Wright dove in to save her three-year-old son as he drove his toy tractor into the raging river
Levi miraculously showed signs of brain function on Friday, but now his mother, Kallie Wright (left) is warning that the hardest part of their journey is yet to come
Kallie expressed how grateful she is for her doctor’s guidance. She said: ‘This has given us the most precious gift of time. Something we almost didn’t have.’
“Our doctor is nothing short of outstanding and I believe with all my heart that her heart is invested in him.
“Whether it’s time to see if God gives us a miracle, or whether it’s time for us to explore, learn and process all of this to make the most informed decisions.
In the heartbreaking post, she continued to ask for prayers “for years to come.” She said, “I’m afraid we haven’t even gotten to the hardest part of this yet.”
“Any decision Levi’s father and I will make will be based on what we, the two people who know him best, think he would want. In all of this, he comes first.
‘We investigate the therapies mentioned, talk to those we think can support us and ensure that as many professional eyes as possible are focused on them.’