An Oklahoma firefighter and father of three young children died in a rock climbing accident last week, just three years after beating stage four cancer.
Levi Wilkins, 36, an avid climber and self-described “alpinist,” died while climbing on Friday, his wife Emily announced in a social media post.
“He was the most incredible husband, father, son, brother and friend,” she wrote in the post. “Having been together since we were 16, I don’t know how to live life without him and I never wanted to learn.”
Wilkins underwent four rounds of chemotherapy and surgery to remove a cancerous tumor and a single dose of radiation therapy, completing treatment in March 2020.
“After beating cancer he lived BIG time,” his widow wrote. “He believed that every day was a gift and it gives him great comfort to know how happy he was doing what he loved when his time came.”
The Norman Fire Department said news of his death crushed its staff.
“It is difficult to express how hard it was when we learned of Levi’s passing yesterday,” the department wrote in a statement. “A few years ago, he bravely fought cancer and came out stronger on the other side. He lived life to the fullest every day and everyone who knew him loved him.”
Firefighter Levi Wilkins died in a rock climbing accident on Friday, leaving behind his wife and three children. Norman Fire Department/Facebook
No details were revealed about the circumstances of Wilkins’ death, other than that it occurred while rock climbing.
Wilkins had planned to climb peaks in Bolivia, Denali and the Himalayas over the next three years, according to his online posts.
He didn’t let his previous cancer diagnosis, which he battled for about a year, get in the way of his love of extreme climbing or running marathons.
“I plan to continue participating in these types of activities as much as I can,” Wilkins wrote in a June 28 blog post. “I have never considered NOT doing it. For me, they are a critical part of transitioning from the mindset of a patient to that of a survivor.”
Just three days before his death, Wilkins spoke about his appreciation for the risk that comes with rock climbing.
“One of the best things about climbing, family, firefighting and life is risk,” he wrote in the caption of a video of himself scaling the side of a cliff. “We generally think that risk is a bad thing, but what is existence without it? Do you have something in your life that invigorates you because of risk?
Wilkins leaves behind his wife of 14 years and their three children, two sons and a daughter, in fifth grade, second grade and kindergarten.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn