✨some of his photos are GRAPHIC.✨ it doesn’t even begin to show what he’s gone through.  
Elijah is my 5 year old son, and he’s been bravely fighting a rare cyst disorder for the past three years. What started as repeated painful masses behind his ear has completely changed our lives.  Since then, we’ve faced countless hospitalizations, surgeries, specialist appointments across Indiana and out of state, endless medications, and more uncertainty than any child should have to endure.
   Elijah is also autistic, which adds another layer to this journey that can be difficult for others to see. The pain, appointments, procedures, blood draws, hospital stays, changes in routine, and sensory overload that come with medical care are incredibly hard on him. He’s just a little boy trying to understand why he keeps hurting and why this keeps happening to him. Watching him try to process pain that he can’t escape and experiences he doesn’t fully understand has been one of the hardest parts of this journey as his parents.
   There have been days where he barely eats, struggles to sleep, withdraws from the things he loves, and simply lays exhausted from fighting his own body. He’s missed out on parts of childhood that every child deserves to enjoy without fear or pain.
   Now we’re preparing for Elijah’s biggest battle yet—a major surgery in Chicago that we pray will finally bring him relief and healing. This is a very serious surgery because of where and how they have to operate. I’m glad to discuss these details with anyone that wants to know as well. This journey has been incredibly overwhelming, not only emotionally but financially as well. Between travel, hospital expenses, medications, meals, everyday living expenses, and time away from work, the costs continue to grow.   While Elijah and I will likely be in Chicago for up to a week—or longer depending on his recovery—his dad will be home caring for our other children. That means we’ll be balancing our lives as normally as possible while navigating one of the biggest moments of Elijah’s medical journey.    Asking for help has never been easy for us, but we’ve learned that allowing others to love and support our family is a gift, too.
If you feel led to support Elijah, there are several ways you can help. Please pray for him, his surgeons, and our family. Share his story so others can follow his journey and keep him in their prayers. If you’d like to brighten his recovery, Elijah has an Amazon wish list filled with toys, sensory items, and activities he enjoys. And for anyone who feels led to help ease the financial burden of travel and medical expenses, we are deeply grateful for every contribution, small or big, everything and anything will help us! Insurance is fighting us on this so every contribution will go towards everyday living and the cost of his surgery. Every prayer, every share, every gift, and every act of kindness reminds us that we are not walking this road alone.    Thank you for loving our sweet boy and for being part of his village. It truly means more than words can express.   Elijah’s Amazon wish list: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2FI7R5JQ60ZGL?ref_=wl_share" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2FI7R5JQ60ZGL?ref_=wl_share" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2FI7R5JQ60ZGL?ref_=wl_share" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2FI7R5JQ60ZGL?ref_=wl_share" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2FI7R5JQ60ZGL?ref_=wl_share" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2FI7R5JQ60ZGL?ref_=wl_share" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2FI7R5JQ60ZGL?ref_=wl_share" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2FI7R5JQ60ZGL?ref_=wl_share" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2FI7R5JQ60ZGL?ref_=wl_share" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2FI7R5JQ60ZGL?ref_=wl_share</a></a>

Kaylee Mendez

Dawg in Suds Grooming

Camron Peterson

Anonymous

Tom452 DeValk

Andy Vaughn

Cindy Larzelere

Kyle Kerulis

Shane Minick

ASHLEY THOMAS

tara hughes

Baylee Neira

Lisa Holton

Matt Hurst

Support for Elijah’s major surgery and recovery 

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Support for Elijah’s major surgery and recovery

Still $3,150 to go. Help us build momentum.