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‘It Was Just A Nightmare’: Philadelphia Teen Dies Within 24 Hours Of Cancer Diagnosis

Kyle Limper died shortly after being diagnosed with leukemia on April 13.
Kyle Limper died shortly after being diagnosed with leukemia on April 13.

Kyle Limper died shortly after being diagnosed with leukemia on April 13.

A Philadelphia teen’s family is grieving after their son suddenly died just 24 hours after being diagnosed with cancer. 

Kyle Limper was a seemingly healthy 16-year-old, participating in several sports and consistently earning A’s at Penn Treaty High School until his family says he began complaining about back pain one day after a recent basketball game. 

He was taken to a hospital to be checked out and was told to come back in a few days if he began to feel worse, the teen’s father, Ken Limper, told Fox 29

“They told me in a couple of days, if he doesn’t get better, to bring him back. Well, in a couple of days, he couldn’t even stand up,” he told the outlet. “He couldn’t even get out of bed and I had to help him up and stand him up, then he fell right back down on the bed.”

After Kyle’s symptoms worsened, he was rushed to Philadelphia’s St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children.

It was at the hospital that doctors discovered he was battling leukemia, and his organs were shutting down. 

“It was just a nightmare,” Limper said of his son’s declining health. “It was just like every time we came back into the [hospital] room, it was just getting worse and getting worse.”

Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects one’s red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. It can cause symptoms of fever and fatigue, and can get worse quickly if left untreated, according to the National Cancer Center.

After spending around 24 hours at St. Christopher’s, Kyle died on April 13 from a blood infection caused by leukemia, leaving his family stunned and heartbroken, according to his obituary.

“I wouldn’t wish this feeling or the situation on anyone. It’s indescribable,” Jodi Taffe, Kyle’s mother, also told Fox 29. “I can’t, I can’t even put into words how I’m feeling.”

The teen, who “loved to embrace the best of what life had to offer him,” was striving to go to college to study criminal law and hoped to become a crime scene investigator, according to a GoFundMe page set up by his family for medical and funeral expenses.

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