*Update 3/28/24*

Ellie completed the lung procedure on her right lung and is recovering well! They took a number of biopsies and removed a nodule. Her medical team in Pittsburgh has scheduled the surgery for her left lung for April 4th. These procedures are important so that they are 100% sure there is not cancer in her lungs, this gets her closer to her next steps for liver transplant. Please keep Ellie and her family in your thoughts as these procedures are quite invasive and time consuming. If you have Facebook, we welcome everyone to Ellie’s Army Group page, search “Ellie’s Army” to follow along with her and her family. We are holding an online Auction on the Ellie’s Army Facebook group on April 5th where we will have over 100 items to bid on- services, experiences, art, items, themed baskets, items specific to North Carolina and so much more! We hope to increase our cash donations for the family and keep pushing towards and even surpass our goal!! Thank you all so much! 

*Update 3/6/24*

 Ellie completed a chemo that is to target her lungs specifically. It is important for her lungs to be cleared in order to move forward with her liver transplant. Doctors in Pittsburgh called the family and discussed more testing + a surgical procedure to physically remove the cancer in her lungs. The family got the call today, and it was requested they be there by end of day. Jeff, Jackie, Ellie, and big brother Lucas packed up and headed down there and expect to be there about a week or more. Everyone throw all your positive energy and prayers her way! We hope this transition is quick and a smooth recovery to proceed with next steps! On the fundraising side of things, Jackies Karate team have held 2 successful fundraisers! With the help of friends and family we are organizing our fundraising auction on Facebook! This is a silent style charity fundraiser, there is a wide assortment of baskets, certificates, art and so much more to bid on! Items will make great gifts for coming holidays, graduation gifts, birthdays, anniversary’s… join us on Facebook, search “Ellie’s Cancer Fundraising Auction” being held April 5th(expect it to run a few days).

*Update 2/21/24*

Ellie and family have traveled back to Pittsburgh for further, more detailed testing.  Doctors have to be sure her lungs are cleared in order to move forward with transplant. Ellie now has a Facebook group you can join, to see updates along the way from her parents- you can search Ellie’s Army on Facebook groups. We will update again soon and hope to share details of living donor options/ transplant information. Thank you! 

*Update 2/12/24*

Been a bit since we did an update. The month of January Ellie had her tubes placed in her ears to combat frequent ear infections. <(They have been doing the job and she has been ear infection free!) Ellie completed round 8 of chemo in January as well, followed by a break in treatment as the family coordinated with the transplant team in Pittsburgh. Ellie and her parents traveled to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for testing and meetings regarding transplant. It was discussed that her lungs must be cancer free in order to start the process of transplant. The tumor board and Ellie’s doctors met and scheduled another CT scan. This time awake so they can get the most accurate imaging of her lungs. If she is cancer free in her lungs she won’t need the lung surgeries and will be moving on to the next steps of transplant. Ellie’s doctors have her scheduled to do 2-3 rounds of Chemo starting this week. Fundraising is a huge part of the cancer treatment journey. We launched a fundraising event on Facebook *Ellie’s Cancer Fundraising Auction* on April 5th and with help of friends and family we are looking for businesses to donate to our auction. I have also increased our fundraising goal here on our gofundme,  what we earn from our fundraiser will contribute to this goal! The family is expected to spend 2-6 months in Pittsburgh at the time of transplant. Money we raise here and our fundraisers will help the family tremendously! Thank you all

*Update 12/26/23*

Ellie completed her second round (3 weeks) of chemo last week. She has been in the Hospital for a week as her care team work on getting her numbers in a safe area to send her home. She does get a home nurse weekly, and has developed amazing relationships with her care team in and out of the hospital. Ellie was given a day pass (part of the day) to go home early Christmas morning so she could celebrate in the magic with her big brother and parents! Ellie has a scan end of this week to evaluate how the chemo is working on clearing her lungs and checking on her liver. She arrived early to the hospital last week with an ear infection running her a high temp. Doctors have scheduled tubes for her ears in hopes to combat her ear infections, as they have made chemo treatments even harder as she has come down with recurring ear infections (this procedure was determined before diagnosis as she suffered from frequent ear infections). End of next week she starts her last series of chemo (3 weeks) until she moves on to the next phase- transplant. As the family learns and communicates further with the team who will do her transplant out of state we will update with those details. Thank you all so much for your continued support and helping spread awareness! The family, and myself are forever grateful as this has been completely life changing. We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas/ Happy Holiday, and hope everyone has a Happy and Healthy New Year! 

*Update 12/4/23*

Ellie is home after spending nearly a week at the hospital on her week off from chemo. She developed a double ear infection and tested positive for the flu! The hospital was able to get her levels back up through blood transfusion, white blood cell injections, and vital mineral injections for her to come home on Sunday. With the break in chemo Ellie has gained some more of an appetite and some spunky energy! She is a fierce little warrior! Ellie will be rocking some beautiful hats, as a side effect of this chemo is hair loss. Friends and family have been so gracious and knitting her special hats! So thankful for everyone’s continued support! Looking forward, Ellie starts her next 3 weeks of chemo this Thursday. They have been in contact with transplant specialists, and will have to make a preliminary visit.

*Update 11/19/23*

Ellie has completed her second week of chemotherapy. Over all so far she has handled the meds well. Jackie and Jeff have been adjusting to their new routine at home/ weekly hospital trips for chemo that come with short stays to provide Ellie comfort and see how she handles the Chemo. Jackie and Jeff have been keeping Lucas informed, reading him books to help him understand what is going on. He gets to visit Ellie at the hospital and even has been able to talk to Ellie’s Doctor! Doctors did determine that Ellie is considered stage 4, as the cancer did spread to her lungs and the size of the tumor in the liver is quite large. All positive thoughts surround Ellie and her whole family as she takes this journey. A liver transplant will be in her future early 2024, the family has been taking steps talking with referred doctors and will be learning more about next steps for surgery. There are going to be segments to Ellie’s healing journey, we are all here to help/ provide comfort and support during extremely stressful and challenging times. You will see updates on this page with photos posted by Jeff and as information is learned we will make updates here as well. I am beyond grateful and proud of everyone’s commitment to helping, donating on this page, sending meals, sending thoughtful messages, and prayers. It all means so much, thank you . Jackie and Jeff want more than anything to spread awareness, and we hope to do that with these updates and sharing them through out the community. Family is organizing a fundraiser when dates and times are determined we will share that information as well as any other opportunity to involve friends, family, and community to rally together for Ellie girl! Thank you all again

*most recent medical update*

On Monday 11/6 Ellie had her chemo port placed and underwent a liver biopsy to verify previous tests done to determine the type of liver cancer she has. She was diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma and it has been confirmed that it has spread to her lungs. This form of liver cancer presents itself in children in the first 3 years of life. She was monitored over night and during this time 50 doctors and surgeons from all over the US discussed best treatment plans for Ellie. The doctors said Ellie is 1 out of 4 children in the Rochester area to have had this cancer and 1 in 100 children to be diagnosed per year in the United States. It is extremely rare. Ellie will be doing weekly chemo for 9 weeks to start, after this they will need to perform a liver transplant- out of state where the surgeon has the most experience in pediatric liver transplants. After transplant and recovery the doctors want to continue Chemo another 9 weeks. Chemo will start on Thursday of this week. We want to thank everyone for heart-felt messages, shares, donations, and the support we have already experienced up to this point, it means everything. This journey is going to be a rollercoaster with many challenges. Ellie has an army behind her and we are so grateful for that. We will post updates along the way

#elliesarmy

!!HUGE thank you to everyone who helped us reach this goal! Every read, share, donation is so appreciated. You all showed up and showed Ellie the ARMY she has behind her! This gofundme page will remain open and active the length of Ellie’s treatment. The family will be providing updates along the way which will be posted in the here with most recents at the top/ social media so you can continue to follow Ellie’s Journey. This is a week of defining decisions. Please keep Ellie and both Porter and Gnage families in your thoughts. And again thank you for the support and continued support here on this page. As you follow Ellie’s Journey keep an eye out for events held to raise money and encourage togetherness to keep #elliestrong.

As parents we are faced with many hurtles, some that we handle in silence, others our family and even friends come together for, and then there are times like this where our dearest friends need all of us to rally together to help them through.

Ellie being diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer is so hard to comprehend, How? Why? so many questions… Such diagnoses are heartbreaking, life changing, and scary.

With the blessing of the Porter and Gnage family, we have decided as supporting friends and family to put together this gofundme. We hope to achieve and even surpass our goal over time to help ease the financial stress this will take on the family.

Ellie was diagnosed out of Golisano Childrens Hospital and will start her treatment journey in Rochester with a possibility of out of state travel for extensive care. Jackie and Jeff are mentally preparing for this possibility. Updates along the way will be shared at the discretion of the family.

The Porter and Gnage Family have had a devastating few years. We want to be a tool to help get them through this. With this long road ahead full of many unknowns and careful planning, we graciously ask you to consider a donation. All donations will go directly to Jackie and Jeff to help ease financial strain- taking a huge stress off their plate in order to focus all attention on helping Ellie fight this. With their son Lucas attending school, a home to maintain for him we must all come together to help.

We must keep positive energy and healing thoughts. If you know Ellie, that girl has so much fight and spunk in her. Coming from a family of so many strong women she will fight and fight until the job is done, and we will be the cheerleaders cheering her on.

Thank you for being here, for reading and considering donating, anything helps and we are so grateful for all of you.