Monday, December 14, 2015

Levi Waitukaitis

Autism Light #433 is Levi Waitukaitis.



Levi Waitukaitis is a 5th grade student from Riverside, Ohio who has autism. Levi is an Autism Light because he helped get life-saving help to his neighbor who had fallen and was stuck outside in dangerously cold temperatures on February 26, 2015.

On February 26, 2015, Levi Waitukaitis' neighbor Linda Blakely fell on her steps and hurt her ankle. She was trapped outside for about 15 minutes in sub-freezing temperatures and all she could do is cry for help. Levi heard her cry for help and asked his Grandmother Diane Waitukaitis to help him call 911 to get medical assistance for his neighbor. Were it not for Levi's help his neighbor could have easily caught hypothermia and had more severe consequences.

Here is a video of the news story about Levi helping save his neighbor.




Diane Waitukaitis said this about her grandson after he stepped up to help save his neighbor, "He's still the same little boy. I'm just proud of him and he may be severely autistic, but he's doing a lot better than a lot of normal kids (Autistic Riverside Boy Feted for His Act of Heroism, Dayton Daily News, May 22, 2015)."

Special thanks to Levi Waitukaitis for being a good neighbor when Linda Blakely fell on February 26, 2015. Levi is a wonderful example of the extraordinary things that some individuals with autism are capable of doing in emergencies. Although he has special needs himself, Levi played a critical role in helping his neighbor in her urgent time of need. He was the type of neighbor we would all want to have. We wish Levi Waitukaitis continued success as he grows and develops in his life.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

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