Elliot’s Journey

We have families that go above and beyond to share how Stormont Vail’s programs and services have helped them. When you give to Children’s Miracle Network at Stormont Vail Health, you’re helping kids like Elliot, one of our miracle kids. The following is Elliot’s story along with his brother Pacer and his parents Myrna and Sterling.

Sterling, Myrna, and big brother Pacer brought Elliot home and were excited to be a little family of four. When he was three months old, Myrna had Elliot on her lap, and was tickling him, when she noticed a hard lump in his stomach. Sterling confirmed the lump, and they called their Cotton O’Neil pediatrician.

After their initial visit, they were sent to the hospital for further testing, where they met Dr. Othman. It was late in the evening, and the family stayed overnight at the hospital while the CAT scan was being processed. Dr. Othman reviewed the CAT scan in her home that night and called them with the results. Their three-month-old baby had a mass on his left kidney that was potentially Wilms Tumor.

Elliot had his left kidney and the tumor (which had grown to the size of a cantaloupe) removed the next week. It was confirmed Stage 3 Wilms Tumor. Unfortunately, the tumor broke so he had to go through chemotherapy and radiation. Elliot’s chemotherapy treatments finished when he was ten months old, and the family could not have been more excited.

Elliot originally wore casts on his legs to help them grow stronger. And as he has grown older, his legs have gotten very strong. Now it’s hard to keep up with him, as he is extremely fast. Elliot and his family have gotten to know the Stormont team pretty well. “You know, you move somewhere and aren’t sure why you’re there, but you know there’s got to be a reason,” Myrna says. “Now I know. I can’t imagine being anywhere else or with a doctor other than Dr. Othman.”

Today Elliot is a happy 6-year-old that loves playing with his older brother Pacer. He has one more 6-month visit with Dr. Othman and then he moves on to having yearly visits. Myrna says, “It’s been a long journey for us, but we couldn’t be more grateful.”

Check out more of Elliot’s story here:
https://vimeo.com/user91294707/review/339145431/3ba94a25f7