Eli Martins - Dec 29, 2018 - June 13, 2021
forchildhoodcancer.org
Because kids can’t fight cancer alone.
Eli was a gentle soul. Born on December 29, 2018 he was the last piece that completed our family puzzle. A few weeks before his first Birthday Eli was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare type of cancer that starts as a growth of cells in soft tissue. Eli fought bravely but took his last breath on June 13, 2021 at home in the same bed where he was born.
Forchildhoodcancer.org was founded to keep Eli’s legacy alive and to increase awareness and raise funds for childhood cancer research to help other kids have a better chance at beating this terrible disease.
About Eli
On December 29, 2018 at 6:30AM, Eli was born in our home on our bed. He was a beautiful and perfectly healthy baby boy.
At 11 months old, his stomach started to swell and he caught a fever that lasted 3 days. He was solely breastfed and had only started eating solids at 7 months. He was meeting all his milestones and was a happy and healthy baby as far as we could see. Imagine our shock when we found out a fever and swollen belly was a large aggressive tumor in his abdomen - a type of cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma.
Genetic testing revealed it was random. A gene mutation that developed and could happen to anyone. Eli's tumor was growing so fast that it ruptured but we were told he still had a very good chance at survival. His tumor shrank over 70% in just 3 months.
At 15 months Eli had his first surgery to remove the tumor. It was a complicated procedure which resulted in the removal of his prostate and a portion of his bladder. All visible evidence of the cancer was gone, but positive margins remained possibly due the tumor rupture. Eli was in remission but continued his treatment. In July 2020, 4 months after his surgery we received the devastating news that another tumor grew in his abdomen. Eli was put on a more aggressive treatment plan and endured another 6 months of chemo with 28 days of radiation.
Eli spent significant time in the hospital due to long days of treatment and missed lots of family time as a result. This was due in part to hospital covid rules that did not allow for any visitors. Including children fighting for their lives.
In March 2021, even with all the additional treatment the cancer came back and this time there was no chance of cure. Still we weren’t going to give up on him. We tried one more trial which was a pill that needed to be crushed and dissolved in water because Eli was too young to swallow pills and the drug was only created for adults. If felt as if we were poisoning him but as long as he could handle it we wanted to try and give him a chance at more life. Unfortunately it didn't work. On June 13, 2021 Eli took his last breath.
Eli loved being at home. He loved being with his family. He loved seeing people and being social. We wanted to take him so many places. On his first plane ride. His first rollercoaster. Even a chance to see him out at a restaurant. Sadly we didn’t get any of those opportunities and now we always wonder whenever we do these things “what would Eli do”.
Eli was the last piece of our family puzzle and we will never feel complete again. We have moments of distraction but the wound of losing a child will never heal.