For more information on CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation, please visit www.curesearch.org

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Featured Athlete

When I was notified of Elijah's condition and the hardships that he and his family were about to go through, I was inspired to race for a reason; race for a cause. It seems so unfair for a child like Elijah to have to go through the pain and suffering of this horrible disease and with the help of hundreds of people and Cure Search, we have been able to raise a large amount of money toward childhood cancer research with very little effort.

Elijah was rushed to Children’s' Hospital in Birmingham about a month ago due to an illness the doctors couldn't pin point. After a CAT scan of his body, a tumor 1/3 the size of his brain was found on his cerebellum and that had wrapped itself around his spinal cord. Emergency surgery was done and took 9 hours to complete. Over the course of that time, Elijah had his entire blood volume replaced three times! After a pathology report it was determined that he had a cancer called Medullablastoma, a cancer of the nervous system which is an extremely fast growing cancer. With Elijah being so young (20 months old), he is at an extremely high risk and is unable to receive radiation. The doctors said that there is a 60% chance of curing the cancer.

Later in October 2008, Elijah had another emergency surgery because of fluid buildup on the brain. The doctors went in and poked a small hole in the 3rd ventricle to drain the fluid. The doctors took a sample of that fluid to see if the cancer had spread into the spinal fluid. That test came back positive which dropped the cure rate to 40%.

Elijah has now begun the chemotherapy process and all is going as well as can be expected. If Elijah can make it through 9 months of chemotherapy, his survival rate will jump to 90%.

Elijah's parents (Gary and Vasiliki) are very strong, spiritual people. The strength I have seen in them throughout this process is incomprehensible. On top of all of this horrifying news, Vasiliki (Elijah's mother), is 7 months pregnant which puts her at high risk due to undue stress.

Being and Ironman triathlete, training is extremely tough on the brain and on the body. The one thing that motivates me and that allows me to push through the pain is to think about the pain that Elijah is going through. The pain I feel during training is not comparable to his. If he can fight it, so can I.

-David Gottlieb

http://www.active.com/donate/csathletics/raceforelijah

History

CureSearch Athletics was founded by Chris and Belinda Smith in honor of their son, Benjamin, who was diagnosed with Biphenotypic Acute Leukemia at age two.

After the diagnosis, the Smiths immediately started participating in every cancer fundraising program they could find in hopes of supporting research that would one day find a cure for pediatric cancer and ultimately a cure for their son’s disease. On this belief, they raised nearly $10,000 in less than a year.

“When your child is diagnosed with cancer, you as the guardian are quickly disabled by a feeling of absolute helplessness,” said Belinda Smith. “Once you are able to stand on your feet again and resume a sense of control, the opportunities become apparent.”

Overwhelmed by the support they received from friends, family and even strangers, the Smiths were disappointed to find that most of the donations they collected had little to no impact in the area of pediatric cancer research. The programs in which they had been raising money for supported research for adult cancers. That is when they approached CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation with the idea of CureSearch Athletics.

Unlike other fundraising programs, CureSearch Athletics does not require a membership to join the program and there is never a minimum fundraising goal. Contributions made through this program directly benefit research efforts to eradicate childhood cancer exclusively.

“I felt completely helpless when I learned that my son had cancer. I couldn’t stand quietly by his side just watching and waiting. CureSearch Athletics gave me the opportunity I was looking for to help my son and other children who are fighting this battle.

I found a way to help my son.” – Chris Smith

Please visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/ben_smith for an update on Ben’s journey