Advertisement

Manu's tears for 'angel' Levi

Manu's tears for 'angel' Levi

'''Celebrity chef Manu Feildel has taken to social media to express his grief, following the death of 20-month-old Perth boy Levi Wibberley, who was suffering from a rare terminal illness called Krabbe Disease.

“I'm really sorry to hear that the little angel has decided to fly to heaven already,” he wrote online.

“I wish I'd had the chance to see him and kiss his forehead one more time. All my heart is with you and sending you lots of love. Rest in peace my darling Levi.”'''

Levi, from High Wycombe, was diagnosed with the terminal illness earlier this year. The neurological disease, which affects one in 100,000 babies, meant he didn't live to see his second birthday.

Sadly, Levi’s condition degenerated quickly, to the point where he could no longer move, eat or speak.

Levi’s family announced his death on his Facebook page this morning.

“This morning at 1.20am, Levi grew the most beautiful wings we have ever seen,” they wrote.

“He passed peacefully in his sleep, with his Papa K right by his side.”

Levi received national attention this year when his 21-year-old mother Ashley wrote a letter to the My Kitchen Rules star, saying his voice helped settle her terminally ill son.

“Every night in hospital we would sit together as a family and watch MKR… it wasn’t until the fourth night watching that I realised Levi would automatically settle… when hearing your voice” she wrote.

Manu announced his teary response on Channel Seven’s Sunrise program in March, before paying Levi a visit at Princess Margaret Hospital late last month.

He gave Levi a special gift of an audio book, containing his voice reading nursery rhymes in French and English.

“We thank every single one of Levi's friends for accompanying us in his fight for life,” announced Levi’s family.

Since his diagnoses, Levi’s family have been campaigning for the compulsory genetic screening of Krabbe disease, which is already a part of Guthrie tests in several states in America.