Elijah Randolph was 10 years old when he bumped his leg running around a corner table. The initial bump started to grow but eventually diminished. It was about a year later when it began to grow again, and Elijah and his family sought treatment. It was the start of a scary ordeal for Elijah and his family.
Now 12 years old, Elijah has been diagnosed with BPDCN, a rare form of cancer, rarer still in children. It normally strikes men ages 60-75, far from Elijah’s age. He was the first diagnosed pediatric case of BPDCN at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.
Elijah was admitted to the hospital, and his initial stay lasted 23 consecutive days. His mom stayed by his side the whole time. And it was during that initial stay that the family learned the value of understanding the resources available to them as their life was turned upside down.
One of the organizations that was able to help Elijah’s family was the Joe Andruzzi Foundation. The family applied through their social worker, and JAF provided gift cards for groceries through the Food Security Program. It was a big help in a time of need.
“Anytime that you can supply a meal or food, or anything in that capacity…that’s one less thing that the family has to worry about and concern themselves with,” Elijah’s father Carl said. “Because we’re focused on his treatment and his health. All these other things are all added pressures that come, and they really come upon you when you least expect it because you’re so focused on looking at one area of the child’s life.”
Elijah and his family are incredibly thankful for all the support that they’ve gotten and want to pay it back to other families in need. It’s why Elijah’s mom, Aurora, has created a Facebook page called Empowering Moms, where she puts all the resources available to families that she has compiled and offers to talk and help anyone going through this process.
“A lot of times we found that families wouldn’t have known about these resources. And unless you ask for it, you won’t know that they exist. We found that there are children that are going through cancer treatments and some of the mothers are just at their wits’ end. They don’t have any idea where to reach out or who to reach out to. So we’ve decided to pass these resources on.”
Their journey as a family speaks not just to the need for financial resources but also to the importance of spreading awareness of the help available, as families deal with some of the most challenging moments of their lives.
Elijah is thankfully doing well. His spirits have been high throughout treatment. This is a big reason why the Randolph family is beginning to start a foundation in Elijah’s name, to help other families in need and build on Elijah’s positivity through this process.
“He’s a very, very compassionate and loving child. And he’s been brave through this whole thing and he continuously tells people that he loves them. And he understands that love is truly the answer. He has constantly met several children in the hospital, and he’s always given back to them, whether it was his time or just encouraging words. So we want to continue that journey. We want to be there on the behalf of other families because we see how difficult it is.”
Elijah and his family have seen the challenges firsthand of what a cancer diagnosis can do to a family. And they are appreciative of the help they received from JAF.
“With the donation of the food gift cards and people reaching out about events that we were invited to and resources that are there for children and families, that’s a huge, huge help. It really, really impacts the family in a very positive way, because these are some of the things that relieve some of the pressures or give us peace of mind in one particular day or event or a moment in time that we can look back on and say, you know what, I’m very thankful that this Foundation was there for us, when most in need.”
