[vc_row el_class=”” css=”.vc_custom_1777162803868{padding-top: 5% !important;padding-bottom: 5% !important;background-color: #F6EBDD !important;}”][vc_column][gsf_heading layout_style=”style-2″ title=”TGlzYSUyME1pc3JhamU=” title_color=”#646159″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Left to Die . . . Destined to Live
I put down Lisa Misraje’s Book Saving Levi, ready to cheer for a woman who refused to recognize international, cultural or linguistic boundaries in her quest for justice on behalf of a severely burned little Chinese boy.
—John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times
“An extraordinary tale of compassion and hope, and of God’s love at work amid the tumultuous changes in modern China.”
— ROB GIFFORD, NPR
“I would not care to know anyone with a heart cold enough to remain unmoved by this gripping story. Lisa Misraje’s complete determination to save Levi is an absolute marvel that demonstrates the power of love and resolute faith.”
— ALAN PAUL, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
“Saving Levi resonates like The Blind Side—with life-and-death stakes.”
— JIM MILO, PRODUCER, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING
A child is left for dead — and across countries and cultures, strangers who have no reason to care choose to act.
At its core, it is a true, ticking-clock story — where Levi’s survival depends on a chain of strangers who each choose to act in time, creating a real-life “baton pass” of urgency and decisive action.
Set between China and the United States, the story unfolds against a backdrop of cultural complexity, bureaucracy, and life-or-death medical stakes, revealing how ordinary people respond under extraordinary pressure.
Saving Levi carries deep emotional weight, but it is also infused with humor — born from cultural clashes, candid children, and a woman learning (often the hard way) how to navigate a world where instinct doesn’t always translate. These moments of levity add warmth and texture, allowing audiences to laugh even as the stakes remain life and death.
It is less about what happened — and more about what becomes possible when people come together.
The kind of story that could not have been written — only lived.
Saving Levi is being developed as a feature film and documentary based on the true story behind the book Saving Levi. Lisa Misraje retains the underlying intellectual property rights, available for motion picture and documentary development.
The project sits within the inspirational drama tradition of true stories such as The Blind Side, Miracles from Heaven, Breakthrough, Ordinary Angels, The Impossible, and Lion — films that have resonated with audiences around the world.
Covered with third- to fourth-degree burns over 70 percent of his body, a six-week-old baby boy shrieked in agony in a cold village field on the outskirts of Langfang, China. Horrified villagers gathered around him, then walked away.
But one older man stayed behind, gathered the child in his arms, and went for help. His compassion and courage sparked a desperate fight to save the infant’s life.
As the struggle unfolds, an American mother-turned-cofounder of a groundbreaking orphanage is pulled into a race against time — navigating impossible medical odds, cultural barriers, and the strain of holding together her own children and a failing marriage.
Lisa enters a system that cannot move quickly enough. Every closed door forces her to find another way forward — often receiving exactly what she needs at the exact moment she needs it.
Saving Levi is a gripping true international story of human resilience and compassion, where unlikely connections form across borders, all set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing China.
Levi’s name means “to bind and unite,” and his life became a living example of that — strangers across borders, faiths, and cultures coming together in a fight against time.
Levi was never the end of the story — he was the beginning.
The extraordinary chain of compassion that saved one child went on to transform the lives of more than 100 children with special needs.
“I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
— Psalm 139:14
Levi isn’t just surviving—he’s thriving.
Now in college, he balances school with training, basketball, working on cars, gaming, and a close group of friends.
He doesn’t chase attention—he naturally draws it.
He was described as the “new-generation Humphrey Bogart — confident, his movements oozing Panache.”
— John Glionna, Los Angeles Times
Levi’s story continues — still unfolding, still reaching people in unexpected ways.
Lisa Misraje is the author of Saving Levi, a true story featured on the front page of the Los Angeles Times. She holds the underlying intellectual property rights, and the project is currently in development as both a feature film and documentary.
She spent nearly a decade working in orphan care in China and co-founded two international nonprofit organizations focused on orphan care, special-needs children, and adoption.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in NGO & Social Change and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California (USC).
Above all, she considers raising her children across cultures and continents her greatest accomplishment — a lived education in love, resilience, and chaos that continues to shape her work.
She lives in sunny California and is the mother of six children and a growing family of grandchildren.
During Levi’s fight for life, I prayed in a hospital room where Levi was dying. I flipped open my Bible and landed on this passage:
“I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.”
— Psalm 118:17 (NIrV)
