Helping Elijah Heal

On Friday May 22, 9 year old  Elijah Rollinson was rushed to the emergency room at Summerville Medical with a headache that wouldn’t go away.  They gave him some Tylenol and sent him home.  Later that night, Eli began experiencing blurred vision, loss of motor skills and vomiting.  His mother, Shenique,  rushed him to the emergency room at Trident Hospital in fear that something more than a headache was going on.  After running some blood work and CT scan, the doctor and nurse came out to sit with Shenique and  inform her that that Elijah’s CT scan had revealed what appeared to be some type of mass on his brain. The team at Trident were not equipped to help her son, but they were actively working to get in touch with MUSC where he could be helped.  The team at MUSC insisted that he come immediately for treatment.  He was then transported by ambulance to MUSC, where they did more tests.  The Neurosurgeon treating Elijah, came out to speak to his mother and it was not any better news. He explained to her that although Eli looked okay on the outside,  his brain was very sick, and had been so for some time. He went on to explain that overtime, (years) the fluid in Eli’s brain that normally drains into the spinal chord had stopped draining; something was blocking it. It had gone unnoticed over those years because his body had been overcompensating for what his brain was unable to do. They would need to drain the fluid first, just to be able to see the mass and figure out what they were dealing with. This process took two days. After the fluid was drained, the surgeon explained he would try to remove the mass with a scope. Unfortunately, he would have to come back and tell Shenique that he would have to perform invasive brain surgery to remove the mass. This was the only way to try to save Eli’s life.  The third time the doctor came back he had good news. He was able to remove what appeared to him to be a benign cyst, however he could only remove about 65% of the cyst wall (lining) because it had become intertwined with the brain.  Meaning that there is still a small chance that the cyst can grow back.  The cyst was sent to pathology to determine what it is, and we are  still waiting on the results. Although Elijah is in stable condition and is being monitored, he is not out of the woods yet. He is working on his motor and cognitive skills with physical, and occupational therapy; Today he was able to walk 4 steps to the chair and 4 steps back to the hospital bed.  So far he has been able to  respond to all of the questions asked of him, although his responses have been delayed.  Over the next few days they will be working to ween him off some of the tubes and check to see if the fluid in his brain begins to drain properly on its own.  We still don’t know what the future hold for Elijah, but he is a strong and resilient boy. We pray that the worse is behind him. We will continue to update everyone daily as we get news on his progress. 


Our purpose for this page is to raise money to assist our friend Shenique Rollinson, while her son is undergoing treatment and recovery from a recently discovered brain mass.   Our goal is to help supplement her income and assist with medical bills while she is unable to work, caring for her son.  Shenique is a single mother and small business owner. With the recent economic shut-down due to Covid-19, her business and ability to generate income has been heavily impacted. We want to be able to lend her support and assistance so she can focus on her son’s recovery. Before starting her own business,   Shenique spent many years working as a Human Resource Manager at several different Lowe’s stores in the greater Charleston area where many of us had a chance to get to know her.  She has had a positive impact on so many peoples lives through the years,  and this is our chance to show her and her son, Elijah, that same love, kindness,and support she has given to others throughout her career.  The following picture was taken just last week, out for a walk with his Mom.  He was protecting her with his nerf gun. 
Mom and Son