An Oklahoma firefighter and father of three died in a rock climbing accident last week – just three years after he beat stage four cancer.
Levi Wilkins, 36, an avid climber and self-described “mountain alpinist,” died while climbing Friday, his wife Emily announced in a social media post.
“He was the most amazing husband, father, son, brother & friend,” she wrote in the post. “Been together since we were 16, I don’t know how to live without him and I never want to learn.”
Wilkins underwent four rounds of chemotherapy and surgery to remove the cancerous tumor and one dose of radiation therapy — completing treatment in March 2020.
“After beating cancer he lived BIG,” his widow wrote. “He believes every day is a gift, and it brings great comfort to know how happy he is doing what he loves when the time comes.”
The Norman Fire Department said the news of his death devastated its staff.
“It is difficult to express how difficult it was when we learned of Levi’s death yesterday,” the department wrote in a statement. “A few years ago, she bravely fought cancer and came out stronger on the other side. She lived life to the fullest every day and everyone who knew her, loved her.”
Firefighter Levi Wilkins died in a rock climbing accident Friday, leaving behind a wife and three children. Norman Fire Department/Facebook
No details about the circumstances of Wilkins’ death, other than that it happened while he was rock climbing, were released.
Wilkins had planned to summit in Bolivia, Denali and the Himalayas in the next three years, according to his online post.
He didn’t let his recent cancer diagnosis — which he battled for about a year — get in the way of his passion for extreme hiking or running marathons.
“I plan to continue participating in these types of activities as long as I can,” Wilkins wrote in a June 28 blog post. “I never considered NOT doing it. To me, it’s an important part of the transition from a patient mindset back to a survivor mindset.”
Just three days before his death, Wilkins spoke of his appreciation for the risks that come with rock climbing.
“One of the best things about climbing, and family, and firefighting, and life, is risk,” he captioned a video of himself climbing the edge of a cliff. “We generally think of risk as a bad thing, but what is existence without it? Do you have something in your life that invigorates you because of risk?”
Wilkins is survived by 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: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
