Boy, 5, Returns Home After Months of Cancer Treatment. He Can’t Contain His Joy When He Recognizes His Neighborhood

When Ashlie Hillius’ son Levi left to get cancer treatment, she wasn’t sure when they’d be able to return to their home in Idaho.

“Levi was diagnosed with an aggressive form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after a few weeks of unusual fatigue,” she shares with PEOPLE of her 5-year-old son. “We went to our pediatrician thinking it might be something minor, and just a few hours later received a call telling us to go straight to the emergency room.”

“We left that night with pajamas and a stuffed animal, fully expecting to come back home the next day,” continues the 26-year-old mom of four.

However, Levi’s diagnosis left the family with few treatment options. Within the next few days, he was life-flighted to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“He never got to go home to pack his toys or say goodbye to his room, his siblings, our dog or even our chickens, which he loves dearly,” says Hillius. “One day, he was preparing to start kindergarten and the next his entire world changed overnight.”

Levi spent several weeks at a time hospitalized for chemotherapy. Hillius says that even when their family was in temporary housing between his treatments, they’d still be spending their days at the hospital for Levi’s appointments.

“His bone marrow transplant required a two-month inpatient stay where he wasn’t able to step outside or feel fresh air,” she says. “He was isolated in a hospital room and unable to see his siblings, limited mostly time with mom and dad. Days were filled with constant monitoring, medications, therapies, homeschool lessons and crafts.”

During his transplant, Levi built a LEGO set every single day in his room. Hillius explains that it was their way of encouraging him to move when his energy was almost depleted.

“We were very careful about telling Levi when we might be able to go home because the journey was so unpredictable,” Hillius says. “We didn’t want to make promises we couldn’t keep. Once we finally knew with certainty that he was strong enough to leave, we told him and his excitement was immediate.”

“He started helping us pack, throwing away medical supplies and medications he no longer needed. Being able to pack without fear or ‘what ifs’ felt incredibly healing for him.”

In a video shared to her TikTok account, Hillius captured the moment their family drove back into their neighborhood for the first time. Levi’s excitement is palpable through the screen, and his scream of “I’m so happy” touched the hearts of many.

“Driving back into our neighborhood and pulling up to our home felt like finally being able to breathe again,” Hillius tells PEOPLE. “The night before Levi was life-flighted, I had been packing a suitcase for what was supposed to be our first family trip to Disneyland. Instead, I found myself on his bedroom floor, overwhelmed by the thought of what you choose to pack when you don’t know what comes next.”

“I remember grieving that he didn’t even get to say goodbye to his bed and promising myself he could come home again. For seven months, it felt like I held my breath. Watching him walk back through our front door and run toward his toys and his room was the moment my heart finally believed we had made it through,” she explains.

When he stepped through his front door for the first time, Levi ran straight to his bedroom.

“The very first thing Levi did when he got home was run straight to the custom bunkbed cabin his dad had built for him right before he got sick. He had been dreaming about that bed the entire time we were gone,” Hillius says. “After that, he couldn’t wait to see our dog and his chickens that had been cared for while we were away.”

Although Levi is back home and currently in remission, his mom explains that he’s not done with his journey yet.

“Right now, Levi is home in remission but still requires very close monitoring following his bone marrow transplant,” says Hillius. “We travel back and forth from Idaho to Memphis every two weeks for follow-up care, and he will soon receive a donor cell boost to help maintain remission. While the journey isn’t fully behind us yet, being home together between appointments has meant everything to our family.”

As she’s been sharing her son’s story online, Hillius explains that there’s one thing in particular she wants her audience to learn from Levi’s experience.

“If there’s one thing we hope people take away from Levi’s story, it’s the importance of bone marrow donation. Levi is alive today because a complete stranger chose to join the registry,” says Hillius. “Someone, somewhere, made a simple decision that gave our son another chance at life.”

“Becoming a donor is easy, and that one choice truly can become someone else’s tomorrow.”

When Ashlie Hillius’ son Levi left to get cancer treatment, she wasn’t sure when they’d be able to return to their home in Idaho.

“Levi was diagnosed with an aggressive form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after a few weeks of unusual fatigue,” she shares with PEOPLE of her 5-year-old son. “We went to our pediatrician thinking it might be something minor, and just a few hours later received a call telling us to go straight to the emergency room.”

“We left that night with pajamas and a stuffed animal, fully expecting to come back home the next day,” continues the 26-year-old mom of four.

However, Levi’s diagnosis left the family with few treatment options. Within the next few days, he was life-flighted to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“He never got to go home to pack his toys or say goodbye to his room, his siblings, our dog or even our chickens, which he loves dearly,” says Hillius. “One day, he was preparing to start kindergarten and the next his entire world changed overnight.”

Levi spent several weeks at a time hospitalized for chemotherapy. Hillius says that even when their family was in temporary housing between his treatments, they’d still be spending their days at the hospital for Levi’s appointments.

“His bone marrow transplant required a two-month inpatient stay where he wasn’t able to step outside or feel fresh air,” she says. “He was isolated in a hospital room and unable to see his siblings, limited mostly time with mom and dad. Days were filled with constant monitoring, medications, therapies, homeschool lessons and crafts.”

During his transplant, Levi built a LEGO set every single day in his room. Hillius explains that it was their way of encouraging him to move when his energy was almost depleted.

“We were very careful about telling Levi when we might be able to go home because the journey was so unpredictable,” Hillius says. “We didn’t want to make promises we couldn’t keep. Once we finally knew with certainty that he was strong enough to leave, we told him and his excitement was immediate.”

“He started helping us pack, throwing away medical supplies and medications he no longer needed. Being able to pack without fear or ‘what ifs’ felt incredibly healing for him.”

In a video shared to her TikTok account, Hillius captured the moment their family drove back into their neighborhood for the first time. Levi’s excitement is palpable through the screen, and his scream of “I’m so happy” touched the hearts of many.

“Driving back into our neighborhood and pulling up to our home felt like finally being able to breathe again,” Hillius tells PEOPLE. “The night before Levi was life-flighted, I had been packing a suitcase for what was supposed to be our first family trip to Disneyland. Instead, I found myself on his bedroom floor, overwhelmed by the thought of what you choose to pack when you don’t know what comes next.”

“I remember grieving that he didn’t even get to say goodbye to his bed and promising myself he could come home again. For seven months, it felt like I held my breath. Watching him walk back through our front door and run toward his toys and his room was the moment my heart finally believed we had made it through,” she explains.

When he stepped through his front door for the first time, Levi ran straight to his bedroom.

“The very first thing Levi did when he got home was run straight to the custom bunkbed cabin his dad had built for him right before he got sick. He had been dreaming about that bed the entire time we were gone,” Hillius says. “After that, he couldn’t wait to see our dog and his chickens that had been cared for while we were away.”

Although Levi is back home and currently in remission, his mom explains that he’s not done with his journey yet.

“Right now, Levi is home in remission but still requires very close monitoring following his bone marrow transplant,” says Hillius. “We travel back and forth from Idaho to Memphis every two weeks for follow-up care, and he will soon receive a donor cell boost to help maintain remission. While the journey isn’t fully behind us yet, being home together between appointments has meant everything to our family.”

As she’s been sharing her son’s story online, Hillius explains that there’s one thing in particular she wants her audience to learn from Levi’s experience.

“If there’s one thing we hope people take away from Levi’s story, it’s the importance of bone marrow donation. Levi is alive today because a complete stranger chose to join the registry,” says Hillius. “Someone, somewhere, made a simple decision that gave our son another chance at life.”

“Becoming a donor is easy, and that one choice truly can become someone else’s tomorrow.”