“I told them he’s 13 years old and weighs 47 pounds. That’s not normal,” – Jennifer, Elijah’s mom

Before Elijah starts college, he plans to trek across all 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail. The path, peppered with both trying obstacles and moments of beauty, is a fitting metaphor for Elijah’s harrowing journey into the world of childhood cancer.

The diagnosis for CNS germinoma, a brain tumor, came quickly after Elijah went to the doctor with his mom, Jennifer. After a series of doctor visits regarding his steep weight loss with no diagnosis, she finally went to her pediatrician for answers.

“I told them he’s 13 years old and weighs 47 pounds. That’s not normal,” said Jennifer. “Three days after that they found the tumor.”

Elijah remained his cool, confident self throughout his first few months of treatment at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, IN. The process eventually led him to Chicago for proton radiation too. The initial results gave Elijah hope, as the treatment put him in remission for five months. Another 15 months passed before that hope dimmed.

“There were three little tumors growing and they did a biopsy,” said Jennifer. “They said the ventricles were covered with a sugar coating of cancer cells that didn’t show up on the MRI, which was kind of scary.”

The cycle started again, as Elijah trekked along the lengthy path towards recovery. After a stem cell transplant, he is now almost a third of the way through treatment.

While the first diagnosis knocked Jennifer back like a gale wind, the second felt more like a shock reawakening her system. She knew the arduous steps forward, but at least it was a path they had traveled before. Still, a relapse brings new issues to the forefront.

“The first thought that popped into my head was that I know when it comes back the percentage of survival goes down,” said Jennifer. “I knew the first time it was a 90% remission rate, so what did it drop to? Most doctors said around 50-60%.”

Despite his difficult situation, Elijah remains resolute in his lifelong goals, particularly his passion for education. He never wanted to fall behind his classmates, especially after his school discussed holding him back in eighth grade.

“I asked him, what are you going to do if you move onto ninth grade and can’t keep up?” said Jennifer. “He said, ‘I guess I’ll repeat ninth grade then.’”

Elijah ended eighth grade with straight A’s. Now, he’s progressing swimmingly and preparing for his junior year, albeit while still taking classes at home. He’s even started sifting through college letters, where he hopes to get a nursing degree and pursue pediatric oncology.

“Our doctor talked with him about what was more important, the actual treating of the disease or being with the patient,” said Jennifer. “He wants to be with the patient and do research on nursing.”

Even if Elijah is years away from helping others as a nurse, he’s already intent on supporting kids with cancer. He was selected for Make-A-Wish in 2017, and after they told him he couldn’t give the wish to someone else, he asked for a German shepherd therapy dog. He wanted to bring her to the hospital and soothe sick kids like him.

Although his dog, Zora, is currently staying with Elijah’s sister to avoid unnecessary germs in his house, Elijah is looking forward to giving those kids a break from treatment one day. They also believe in Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation’s goal of supporting families. It’s a situation they know all too well after receiving a gas card through the Travel for Care program to help them reach treatment.

“We’re an hour away from the hospital, so that was awesome,” said Jennifer. “If I didn’t have that gas card, I don’t know that I’d have gas money to get him to treatment. Every little penny counts.”

In his second bout with cancer, Elijah’s now on a new path whose end point remains unknown. For Elijah, he’s hoping that endpoint lies where the Appalachian Trail begins.