He came home with a few aches. By sunrise, he was gone.
Sixteen-year-old Levi Syer had spent the afternoon laughing with friends — but just hours later, his mother Norliah was watching doctors fight to save his life. He’d developed muscle pain and nausea, symptoms she thought were just a virus. But in the middle of the night, Levi collapsed in the bathroom.
“I’ve never seen him that sick,” Norliah said. “He looked at me and asked, ‘Am I going to die?’”
Within hours, Levi was in intensive care surrounded by 60 doctors. Purple blotches appeared on his face and chest as his heart began to fail. Despite desperate CPR efforts, he passed away from meningococcal Type B, a deadly infection that caused sepsis.
“The doctor said it goes through the body like a tsunami,” his mother shared. Now she’s urging parents to check their children’s vaccines — because the MenB strain isn’t always covered.
Levi’s story is a heartbreaking reminder: sometimes, what seems like “just the flu” can take the person you love most.
