Help Elijah Stuski with his journey battling ETMR (Embryonal Tumor with Multilayered Rosettes), an extremely rare and aggressive pediatric brain cancer.
If you've ever met Elijah’s parents, Galen and Jasmine Stuski, you know they are the kind of people who are always there when someone else is in need. They live their faith every day through service, generosity, and unwavering love for others. Whether it's helping a friend with a home project, delivering a home-cooked meal to friends in need, lending a hand without being asked, and always quietly serving those around them… They have spent their lives caring for others. Now they are the ones in need.
The purpose of this fund is to support Elijah and his family with:
- Any medical out-of-pocket expenses
- Medical equipment not covered by insurance
- Travel, lodging, and parking
- Lost wages
- Rehabilitation and support
- Household expenses
- Childcare expenses
- Any unexpected expenses
Thank you for loving this family, lifting them up in prayer, and helping carry their burdens during this incredibly difficult season.
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How It All Happened:
For several days, 2 year old Elijah kept telling his parents, Galen and Jasmine, “My foot hurts.” At first, they thought maybe he stumbled and hurt his toe. They upsized his sneakers from size 6 to size 7. They checked him for signs of injury– bruising, swelling, etc.-- but he had none. On Monday, June 29, 2026, at 10am, they had him assessed at his pediatrician. Elijah got a clean bill of health, but Galen and Jasmine insisted on getting a referral to a pediatric orthopedic specialist because they noticed him limping on the left side and dragging his left foot. They scheduled two appointments right away for Wednesday, July 1, 2026– one with an orthopaedic doctor and one with a chiropractor. Their pediatrician advised that if Elijah had trouble standing, they should take him to the ER.
Even though he spent that day jumping with both feet and playing like he always did, around 5:30pm Elijah lost the ability to stand. They rushed to their local ER in Gilbertsville, PA. The doctors were stumped by their description of his symptoms. Elijah had no fever, no apparent pain, nothing. He simply would not move his left leg. After explaining the symptoms what felt like 10 times to 10 different people, Elijah was scheduled for a leg X-ray. Everything looked normal.
Since it was about dinner time, Elijah was offered one of his favorite snacks: A blueberry fig bar. After a few bites, he requested a sip of water. When they handed him his water bottle, it slipped and fell onto his lap. He was only using his right hand, instead of two hands like he normally did. They tried encouraging him to use his left hand… “Hold the bottle with two hands” and “Give me a high five.” But, he looked at them with extremely sad eyes and quietly said “No.”
At that point, the doctors considered a potential stroke. Although rare and unlikely due to his age, the loss of muscle control symptoms were localized to his left side, so a stroke was a possibility. An EKG scan showed normal results, but at that point, they knew something was definitely not right.
The doctors scheduled a CT scan of his brain. Galen and Jasmine became increasingly concerned, and they reached out to their parents and their pastor for prayer. As you might imagine, Elijah was feeling uneasy, hungry, and scared. Galen was by Elijah’s side during the CT scan, trying to keep him calm and help hold him still. Jasmine had to leave the room, as she was 37 weeks pregnant with their second child.
The CT scan results were available right away, and the news was worse than they could have imagined. The doctors said there’s a large mass on the right side of his brain. The medical team immediately reached out to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), who dispatched an ambulance to transport the Stuski family from the ER to CHOP. Elijah was intubated and taken for an MRI for better imaging which confirmed an 8.6 x 6.0 x 6.8 cm (3.4 x 2.4 x 2.7 inch) tumor, approximately the same volume as a baseball.
Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery at CHOP cleared his schedule to perform emergency brain surgery on Elijah on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. During the operation, the surgical team was able to remove approximately 90% of the tumor. As the surgery progressed, Elijah lost a lot of blood, and the remaining portion of the tumor was found too close to a critical blood vessel. The team was exceptionally prepared for the many variables, but the surgeon made the difficult decision to leave the final 10% of the tumor in place to protect Elijah. When he woke up from surgery, his first words were “Mommy, are you okay? Dada, are you okay?” That’s the sweet, compassionate little boy we’re fighting for.
Pathology has since identified the tumor as an Embryonal Tumour with Multilayered Rosettes, C19MC altered (ETMR), WHO Grade 4. It is an extremely rare and aggressive pediatric brain tumor.
Elijah remained hospitalized at CHOP, first in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) then in Neuro-Oncology. Galen and Jasmine faithfully remained by his side every moment, sleeping in his hospital room and putting life on hold to care for their son. Except, one tiny part of life could not wait…Jasmine was nearing the end of pregnancy with their second little boy, Enoch.
Instead of spending those final weeks preparing for Enoch’s “out-of-hospital” arrival, she changed her birth plans to remain close to Elijah and delivered across the street at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Enoch was born on Sunday, July 12, 2026, eight days early, but just one day before Elijah’s second brain surgery. Thanks to the caring staff at both hospitals, Elijah was able to meet his baby brother and spend time with his mommy that same night. Elijah had a second brain surgery on Monday, July 13, 2026, to remove the remaining 10% of the tumor.
Elijah's fight is far from over, yet he has consistently impressed every doctor and medical professional with his resilience. God has undoubtedly shown the Stuski family that He is with Elijah and with them on this journey. Every dismal prognosis has transformed into an ongoing display of God’s mercy and providence.
Elijah has now had two major brain surgeries with Gross Total Resection (GTR) achieved, in other words, the complete removal of all visible tumor tissue. This significant milestone gives Elijah the best possible starting point to beat this cancer. Testing of Elijah’s spinal fluid (CSF) also was unable to detect tumor cells in his spine, and an MRI showed no additional growth within his spine. These results allowed the proton radiation plan to be more precise and targeted, which helps reduce the probability of damage to other areas of the brain.
ETMR is extremely aggressive in nature, and residual tumor cannot be ruled out. Microscopic tumor cells are a significant risk for recurrence, and thus, an intense treatment plan is underway. Elijah is scheduled for three cycles of induction chemotherapy, thirty proton radiation treatments, three high intensity chemotherapy cycles, additional surgeries, an immunotherapy clinical trial, occupational and physical therapy, and ongoing specialized care for at least seven months to a year. The Stuski family is temporarily living in Philadelphia, PA to stay close to CHOP as Elijah continues his procedures and treatment plan.
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All funds raised will be held in trust for Elijah’s benefit, with priority given to needs related to care, treatment, and recovery.
A special thanks to the friends and family of the Stuski family for writing this contents of this fundraising page.
