Joshua Tomassi
Despite the long road ahead, Joshua continues to stay motivated knowing he will beat cancer soon.
At just 15 months old, Ellyannah Scholl’s life and the lives of her entire family changed forever.
What began with symptoms that would not subside, including vomiting, pain and changes in her behavior, led to a devastating diagnosis: high-risk, stage IV neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer. Doctors discovered a tumor near her left kidney and found the cancer had spread to her bone marrow.
For the next year and a half, Ellyannah endured multiple rounds of chemotherapy, the harvesting of her stem cells, surgery to remove the tumor, a stem cell transplant, radiation and immunotherapy. She was inpatient frequently for treatment and even when not receiving treatment because she was neutropenic. She and her mother frequently stayed at Ronald McDonald House of Central New York when not inpatient.
While Ellyannah fought for her life, her family faced the overwhelming challenges that come with childhood cancer. Her parents, Jamie and Allen, navigated extended hospital stays in Syracuse from their home in Carthage, frequent travel for treatment, time away from work, and separation from their other four children. Thankfully, friends swooped in and helped Mom and Dad by bringing siblings to Syracuse for visits and assisting with keeping things running at home.
Eventually, the family received the news they had been yearning for, Ellyannah was cancer-free.
Unfortunately, their relief was heartbreakingly short-lived. At just two years old, Ellyannah relapsed. The cancer returned in her jawbone, and she was once again in treatment. She received chemotherapy, immunotherapy and radiation, and even had to travel to New York City for portions. Once again, her family found themselves navigating the uncertainty, fear and exhaustion of childhood cancer. Her relapse came with countless appointments, hospital admissions, infections, feeding tubes to help maintain her weight, and central lines to deliver lifesaving treatment.
Following additional treatment, she was declared cancer-free for a second time. She then completed two years of DFMO, a medication used to help reduce the risk of neuroblastoma returning and has now been cancer-fee for more than three years.
Ellyannahh is a smiley first grader who loves to sing, play, explore the outdoors, swim and make memories with her sisters and friends. She is doing what every child deserves the opportunity to do: simply be a kid.
Ellyannah’s family is incredibly grateful to their community, family, friends and organizations like ours who were there for them during their journey. And, even though Ellyannah is left with significant difficulties from the toxic treatments that killed her cancer, her family focuses on the gratitude they have that she is still here with them today.
Despite the long road ahead, Joshua continues to stay motivated knowing he will beat cancer soon.
To say that the last few months have been a roller coaster would be a huge understatement.
Archie was 7 months old when he was diagnosed with Wilms’ tumor, a type of kidney cancer. He endured a nearly 12-hour surgery…
She was a full, vibrant child, who was so much more than her cancer which she never let it bring her down.
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