The mother of a three-year-old boy who drove his toy tractor into a river in Utah has said the family are ‘shattered’ after an MRI revealed the the results were ‘not good’, in a devastating update on the health of her son who almost drowned in the incident.
Levi Wright’s mother, Kallie Wright, dived in to save him and raced to the hospital where doctors restored his heartbeat. The youngster, whose father is rodeo star Spencer Wright, remained unconscious for days, as doctors warned the Wrights that Levi’s brain was too damaged for him to survive.
On Friday, his parents believed Levi had begun to show signs of progress with further tests scheduled to assess his brain function.
But late on Friday afternoon, one of those tests gave a heartbreaking prognosis.
Kallie Wright, the mother of three-year-old Levi, who drove his toy tractor into a river in Utah has said the family are ‘shattered’ after an MRI revealed the the results were ‘not good’ Friday
Kallie Wright is seen together with her husband Spencer, son Levi and daughter
Kallie Wright and son Levi are seen together in a photo posted by a friend
An MRI scan revealed a poor prognosis for the youngster devastating the family
‘The MRI wasn’t good, we’re shattered but it is just images that suggest a certain quality of life,’ Kallie wrote.
‘Our real teller of all will be what Levi does over the course of a few days. Please continue to pray! I’m not giving up on my baby just yet,’ she added.
‘I’m working on getting any and all neurologists or other educated professionals with expertise in this area who are willing to view his MRI. Then just seeing what my strong boys does in the next few days.’
On Thursday night, Kallie said that Levi had woken up while in his hospital bed at the Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City alongside her husband Spencer.
‘LEVI WOKE UP! I am shook, 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 tough!’ she wrote.
‘He got a little wild so we had to settle him down again but my heart!’
Kallie later on Friday clarified Levi wasn’t ‘fully coherent’ or talking, however.
‘He opened his eyes for a period of time, wiggled with purpose and less like just a reflex as before,’ she wrote.
‘We still have a very long and tremendous road ahead of us, full of unknowns. Spencer and I felt like he knew we were there and could hear us.’
‘He’s been pretty sedated since then but has still had small periods of awakeness. He actually woke up during us talking to one of the doctors about his love of excavators and tractors.’
The family had been buoyed by the possibility that Levi was ‘awake’ but it may have been false hope
Kallie Wright is seen in a photo of herself alongside her son Levi
Rodeo group Bronco Riding Nation shared this photo asking its fans to pray for Levi, and promised to donate the proceeds of some of its sales
Kallie said she was singing Levi’s favorite excavator songs and they talked about what they would get up to when he was out of the hospital.
Kallie’s husband is Spencer Wright and among the most prominent in the history of rodeo. His father, Bill Wright, was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.
Spencer is ranked 35th in the world, while his siblings are also renowned athletes in the sport.
When Levi drove into the river, the person who called 911 frantically told the dispatcher that they couldn’t see him under the fast-moving currents.
Kallie realized he had sneaked off and ran to the river, and jumped into the currents to save him, with her friend saying she ‘was the one who found him, she got him out’.
A huge response of rescue teams from the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office, the Utah Highway Patrol, the Beaver County Search and Rescue team, and Beaver firefighters were quickly on the scene.
The crews administered life-saving efforts before an ambulance raced him to Beaver County hospital, and he was later airlifted to Salt Lake City via helicopter.
Late on Thursday night, Levi ‘woke up’, according to his mother Kallie Wright, who is by his bedside at Salt Lake City Hospital with her husband Spencer
Levi was declared brain dead after driving his toy tractor into a river and vanishing underwater
When Levi drove into the river, the person who called 911 frantically told the dispatcher that they couldn’t see him under the fast-moving currents
Levi snuck away from his family in the toy tractor (pictured), and his mother dove into the river to save him after he disappeared under the currents
Spencer Wright, ranked 35th in the rodeo world rankings, and his family said the outpouring of support they have received ‘means the world’ to them
‘He has a will to breathe, but his sweet little brain was without oxygen too long and there is no coming back from that,’ the family said adding that he was not expected to survive.
‘We cuddled him all night and feel strongly that his spirit is no longer with us. We can’t be selfish and drag this out for days, he doesn’t deserve that.
‘Shortly we will stop care and hold him close until his last breath on earth. My Baby, my beans, Mom & Dad love you always and forever!’