Stories of HOPE: Elijah's Journey with Pediatric Cancer

In April 2015, Liz took her 2 ½-year-old son, Elijah, to the doctor for strange symptoms he was experiencing, like bruising, pale skin, and blue lips. 3 hours later, they got the life-altering phone call no parent dreams of getting… “Your son has cancer.” Suddenly, nothing else mattered. They dropped what they were doing, packed their bags, and headed to the hospital right away; not even 3 years old, their son was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Pre-B Cell. Liz painfully recounts the next 3 and 1/2 years of her baby's treatment: “Elijah endured countless tests, needle pokes, hair loss, crying, puking, pain, and sleepless nights. He took over 4,000 chemo pills, had 2 surgeries, 83 blood draws, 11 ER visits, and was sedated 21 times to have chemo put into his spinal fluid.” It's more than any child should ever have to endure, but Elijah did it with bravery and strength.

After almost 4 years, Elijah finished treatment in July of 2018 and was considered “cancer-free” in May of 2020. He still endured monthly blood draws to check on his condition, but, in August of 2023, their doctors told Elijah and his family, “There's virtually a 0% chance his cancer will come back. He's done with blood draws, and just needs to do yearly checkups." After a grueling 8 years, Elijah and his family could finally feel a sense of relief, and gear towards normalcy.

Today, Liz tells us that “Elijah is a thriving 11-year-old boy who loves being outdoors, playing soccer, jamming on his banjo, and reading books every chance he gets.” She also adds “Without the love and support of Cal's Angels over the years, it would have been a much more difficult journey to overcome!” They feel grateful to be one of the “lucky” families with the “good” cancer. Even with the relief of the doctor's predicted outcome, Elijah and his family will forever be changed, always having to worry about recurrence and long-term side effects of the toxic treatments. No parent should ever have to watch their child fight for their lives and endure treatments not well suited for the body of a small, vulnerable child; Elijah's family expressed their gratitude to our donors, supporters, and volunteers for working tirelessly to make sure, one day, no child will ever have to again.