Elijah’s journey began in 2019, just ten days before his 2nd birthday when he was diagnosed with B Cell ALL, which is a cancer that affects your “B lymphocytes”, white blood cells that grow in the soft center of your bones, called marrow. B lymphocytes are supposed to grow into cells that help you fight infections. Despite every obstacle he faced during his treatments, from feeding tubes to numerous hospitalizations, Elijah persevered.
Throughout his treatment, several things kept Elijah’s spirits high. One of his favorite memories from his journey was going to Disneyland and meeting his favorites, Mr. Incredible, Frozone, Goofy and Jessie. Mr. Incredible and Frozone were likely his favorite characters of the meet and greets, being that Elijah watched The Incredibles for an entire three weeks of hospitalization! Beyond these Disney characters, his ultimate superhero was and continues to be his big sister, Amelia. She was a rock star when it came to supporting her little brother during treatment and helping his spirits rise.
After two years, Elijah reached the end of his treatment on April 18, 2021. This served as an extra special milestone for him because he fought to finish treatment a whole year early, completing two years of treatment instead of three!
It has been an honor supporting Elijah and his sweet family with multiple special touches since 2019. Keaton’s has had the opportunity to support his family with gas and food cards, as well as grocery deliveries and nutritional support. Each time Elijah’s mom visits with our team at Keaton’s, she is so kind to share photos and memories of the joy-filled events we, and other generous supporters, have been able to support families with emotionally. Elijah and his family’s favorite event continues to be our Annual Holly Jolly Holiday Celebration. With a special thanks to Bayside Church Granite Bay, hosting our 2021 holiday celebration, Elijah and Amelia were able to ice skate for their very first time and created many fun memories!
A huge thank you to Elijah and his family for allowing us to join this childhood cancer journey with you! It has been so rewarding watching Elijah turn into the sweet and resilient boy that he is. We look forward to continuing the celebration of this awesome milestone with your family and can’t wait to see all that Elijah will accomplish in this world!
