The family of a 13-year-old boy battling cancer for the fifth time is asking for help from our Santa Clarita community, hoping for donations to help support their family as he undergoes intense chemotherapy.

A “sweet and shy” boy with a love for hockey, 13-year-old Elijah is set to spend his 14th birthday in the hospital, undergoing intense chemotherapy treatment for cancer over the next 6 months, and his father, Kris, has made the difficult decision to stop working in order to stay with his son.

Elijah’s mother, Jennifer Greene, will remain with the couple’s two youngest children and help facilitate their move to another home, as their current lease doesn’t end until December.

“It’s scary, this time we have the little ones so everyone is split up,” Greene said. “Dad is at the hospital and I’m at home with the kids, it’s a lot on everybody.”

Since he was an infant, Elijah has been diagnosed with cancer five separate times, the most recent being osteosarcoma or bone cancer affecting his right clavicle (collarbone), prompting its removal.

Elijah’s repeat development of cancer is credited to Li-Fraumeni syndrome, which is a rare hereditary mutation of the gene responsible for producing P53, the protein that acts as a tumor suppressor and prevents cells from uncontrolled division or growth. Experts estimate that Li-Fraumeni syndrome occurs in anywhere between 1 in 5,000 to 1 in 20,000 people worldwide, a number left broad due to a lack of genetic testing data.

Elijah is the only member of his family affected by the condition.

On top of the impact of the various cancers on his body, the 8th grader also experiences seizures and is developmentally delayed, a condition his family believes is related to the various brain cancers he has experienced.

The most recent tumor to develop in Elijah’s right clavicle was fast growing, developing from no issues in February to requiring the removal of the entire bone within only two short months. Thai came only a short time after he recovered from the removal of a section of his right jawbone, which had been rebuilt using a bone graft.

“For some reason, it’s really hit him this time. He’s scared and crying and pretty sad,” Greene said. “The last couple of times, he just wasn’t mentally there. He knew it was happening but he’s much more aware this time.”

Elijah’s younger brothers, aged 5 and 7, are also developing a greater understanding of how the disease is affecting their older brother.

“They understand a lot more than they did back in the day. His younger brother is really starting to ask a lot of questions. He had his first field trip recently, and he was thinking about his brother and how he won’t be able to do (field trips) the whole ride down,” Greene said.

As Elijah’s chemotherapy treatment will decimate his immune system, the family will have to stay apart to prevent potential exposure to dangerous infections, requiring Elijah’s father, Kristian Samana, who owns his own business, KPS Appliance Repair and Maintenance, to stop working to stay with his son.

In order to help support the family and allow Kris to stay with Elijah, a family friend, Jessica Lewis, set up a GoFundMe to pay for rent, utilities and car payments for the family, a number that currently totals over $3,000 monthly, according to Greene.

“He is the strongest all-boy boy you could meet,” Lewis said of Elijah. “When he’s not in treatment, he loves sports – especially hockey – he’s a big fan of the Kings. He loves to go to school when he’s not in treatment, and he’s obviously a strong-willed boy.”

Elijah is scheduled to start inpatient chemotherapy treatment next week.

Elijah’s mother asks that even if local community members cannot help financially, that they keep her son in their thoughts and prayers, as his family adjusts to the reality that it is not a question of if, but when, the cancer will return.

“Just lots of prayers that we get more time in between (cancers). It takes a toll on your body,” Greene said. “We’re learning a lot more about this gene and how it affects your life. It all comes down to how long it is until (the cancer) comes again.”

To donate to the GoFundMe, click here.

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.