Students at Pinetree Community Elementary School in Canyon Country wanted to support their friend and schoolmate as he prepared for an invasive surgery to treat his life-threatening cancer.
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Although only 9 years old, Elijah Greene and his parents are no strangers to hospitals, nor having the diagnosis broken to them that Elijah’s life is in danger from a deadly disease.
Elijah was first diagnosed with three different types of cancers when he was 14 months old: neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma and choroid plexus carcinoma.
But despite the odds, Elijah was able to recover from his first bout with cancer and live a relatively normal childhood. But then in April 2018, when it seemed that worrying about a relapse was finally in the rear-view, his parents noticed a lump growing on his jaw.
In August, the Greenes were told that the lump was what they had been dreading: an Osteosarcoma growth — a form of cancer that starts in the bones.
But in spite of the diagnosis, the Greenes made the decision not to allow Elijah’s life to be put on hold yet again. The family would move forward with a plan to keep him alongside his friends and classmates, despite his growing tumor.
On Sept. 24, surgeons at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles operated on Elijah for 12 hours to remove the growth from his mouth and reconstruct his entire lower jaw.
Following the successful surgery, Elijah’s parents said that they and their son’s doctors expect him to only need a three-week recovery.
In a display of solidarity with Elijah as he goes through his recovery, those very same classmates that he hopes to return to, along with PTA volunteers and teachers, all came together to fasten a quilt together in an effort to comfort him in the following weeks.
The Greenes were surprised when Jessica Lewis, a staff member at Pinetree Community Elementary, presented the quilt — decorated with the names of Elijah’s classmates — at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles prior to the surgery.
“I cried, and he was in complete shock,” said Jennifer Greene, Elijah’s mother. “We couldn’t believe it. They (even) went out of their way to sign it.”
The last few months have been challenging for Elijah’s parents, but they noted the ongoing outpouring of kindness has helped.
Elijah’s health is still at risk following the surgery — he has five cycles of future chemotherapy treatment to help ensure that the cancer is gone — but his parents are currently trading off between working and staying in their “temporary home” at the Ronald McDonald House near the hospital as their son works to regain his strength.
“We’re staying at the Ronald McDonald House while he’s in ICU for three weeks,” said Jennifer Greene. “There’s still a lot of risks because he’s open in three places … (and we’re trying to afford) being able for him to stay at that hospital the whole time.”
Greene, with the help of family members and supporters of her son, launched a GoFundme campaign seeking support from the community to help cover uncovered expenses.
To donate to Elijah’s GoFundMe campaign, click here.
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