Levi Buxman was this year’s jersey design winner for the annual design contest and patient celebration event held at Canal Park in downtown Akron. Each year, an Akron Children’s hematology oncology patient’s jersey design is selected to be worn by the RubberDucks at the Survivor Night Celebration.
Levi Buxman, age 10, is eagerly anticipating the Akron RubberDucks baseball game on August 9 for a very special reason – the team will be wearing jerseys that he designed as part of the Showers Family Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders’ annual design contest and patient celebration event.
This exciting occasion is made even more meaningful by the presence of Ed, Krista, Grady and Dylan Fink, who will attend the game on behalf of their Fearless Fighters Foundation, a proud sponsor of the event. In 2020, Dylan, then 14, was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkins T-Cell/Histiocyte-Rich Large B-Cell Lymphoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. Now in remission, Dylan and his family channel their experiences into raising funds and awareness for pediatric cancer through various initiatives, including blood drives and sponsorships like Survivor Night at the RubberDucks.
The Fink family at a past Survivor Night game. Their Fearless Fighters Foundation has been a recurring sponsor of the annual event.
“Pediatric cancer is severely underfunded,” Krista emphasized. “It’s up to foundations like ours to raise awareness and support families affected by this disease.”
“It’s incredible what the Fearless Fighters Foundation has done in just a few short years to help families in Northeast Ohio fighting cancer,” said Machelle Syx, director corporate alliances and special events for Akron Children’s Foundation. “The passion and drive the Finks have to help others going through the same struggle they lived through is truly inspiring. We’re grateful for them and everything they do.”
Levi’s inspiration for his jersey design came from his favorite color, blue, and stick figures wearing different color ribbons representing various forms of childhood cancer. Born with Down syndrome, Levi was no stranger to Akron Children’s even before his diagnosis of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) in November 2023.
“Levi often gets respiratory viruses that cause him to be hospitalized, so when I brought him to the ER in November 2023, I thought he had the flu,” said Levi’s mom, Lauren.
Levi is known for his positive attitude during his frequent month-long inpatient stays at Akron Children’s for treatment.
Lab tests revealed that Levi had a type of blood cancer that occurs when the bone marrow produces too many lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. He was diagnosed and admitted to the PICU the same day and placed on a ventilator two days later.
“His body was going berserk,” said Lauren. “He had pneumonia and leukemia.”
Now in his last month of intense treatment, Levi will continue with two years of maintenance chemo.
“We hope to ring the bell in 2026 to signify the end of his treatments,” said Lauren.
When he’s not in the hospital, Levi likes to hang out with his family (including his dad, Branden, and brothers, Graham and Boyd, pictured here) and spend time swimming, hiking, camping and listening to music by Michael Jackson.
Although it’s been almost a year since Levi attended school, he hopes to return to his fourth-grade class at Green Elementary School in Smithville this year. Despite the challenges, Levi’s prognosis and attitude remain positive during his frequent month-long inpatient stays at Akron Children’s for treatment.
“They treat him like a celebrity here,” said Lauren. “He calls it a vacation and says it smells like a hotel. He literally screams of sheer joy when we pull into the parking lot.”
Lauren shared that Levi’s reactions are why she has made the trip to Akron Children’s from Wooster for his care since he was a newborn.
“Everyone here has been fabulous to us and to our family,” she said.
You can see Levi’s jersey design featured on players at the RubberDucks baseball game on Friday, Aug. 9 at Canal Park Stadium. Tickets to the game are on sale here.
