The last 2 weeks haven’t exactly been easy for Eli but as always he pulls thru with a smile and a “I will be ok”. We haven’t missed a day of being in the hospital since Monday 11 days ago. Last week was chemo Mon-Fri and then Eli was in the ER over the weekend needing platelets for a nose bleed that wouldn’t stop bleeding. Since last Monday Eli has had 9 transfusions which obviously isn’t a very good sign but we are holding out hope that it’s chemo related as we wait and pray for the scans and their results. 

Today we were in CHLA for what was a planned 5-10 minute visit to get a MIBG injection. Once here I figured let’s save time for Friday and have his labs checked so if he does need further transfusions it will be ready when we arrive instead of waiting 2-3 hours for results and for them to bring the blood before the 2-3 hours actual transfusion time. It turned out that it was “min hashamayim” that I did this as soon after getting home CHLA called that Eli needs to get right back for both blood and platelet transfusions as they were both dangerously low. They were low to the point that they aren’t even rechecking it on Friday and just repeating and giving both transfusions again to compensate IYH for the low counts.
‎
Please daven that we should be zoche to a miracle on Friday with the scans and that IYH this is all a side effect of the chemo and nothing more. Elimelech Ben Basya bsoch shaar choley Yisroel.‎

Very shortly Eli will IYH be in the OR to have his bone marrow procedure done where they check on the status of disease in the marrow. It is an extremely important scan as it will beezrat hashem yield good results and help guide us in which treatment should be done next. We hope to have the good results of today’s and the next few days scans by the latest Monday. 

Please as always have Elimelech Ben Basya bsoch shaar choley yisroel in your tefilos and in hopes that we get the best possible results.

Eli just finished another round of chemo today and BH for the most part went well. We spent a good part of Monday night in the ER with a very low grade fever but after monitoring Eli and taking blood cultures they discharged Eli. On Tuesday 8/25 was Eli’s 10th English birthday (Chuf Av was hebrew) we celebrated it with his DR and nurses with a cake and pizza in the infusion center while getting chemo. The brocha Eli gives everyone always is “you should live until 120” and we like to say “kol hamisborech yevarech” and IYH Eli will live in good health to 120. 
‎
‎
Eli’s blood counts were not as high as we would of liked them this week so he got both a blood and platelet transfusion which hopefully did the trick. Next week IYH is a full set of scans which on Tuesday they will first make sure Eli’s blood counts are up to where they want them and if they are not they will transfuse. WED morn they will do the bone marrow biopsy, Thurs at noon they will give the MIBG injection followed by a Friday morning MIBG scan. These scans will beezrat hashem guide us as to what, where and when the future treatments will be and where they will take place. 
‎
Please as always have Elimelech Ben Basya and the many cholim that need a refua in your tefilos. A GUT SHABOS

Eli got home WED night after a great private flight and was right back to himself. Friday we were at CHLA first in the morning for labs which BH were good and no transfusions were needed and then again in the afternoon to meet with the DR. 

After discussing and meeting Eli’s regular oncologist in LA we have beezrat hashem decided that we will go ahead and be doing chemo this week Monday-Friday and then take the regular 2 week in between break and then do one more round. After that round at the end of Aug or begining of Sep Eli will IYH have all scans done again and based on those scans it will be decided if to continue or at that point to go to NY and do the studies they have at MSKCC. DR Kushner agrees with this plan as well as since it has BAH worked very well the last 7 months no reason to just stop it now. 
‎
Please continue having Elimelech Ben Basya in all your tefilos. ‎
‎

Where to begin?? Eli was in Camp Simcha for 2 weeks of non stop incredible fun. The staff and program are the absolute best there is. The care, love and attention was truly amazing from day 1 until we got back in the car. His counselor, co counselor, division head, learning rebbi, head counselor, waiters, nurses and so many others were just simply incredible. Seeing some pictures and videos of Eli doing things that took so much energy which they brought out of him was beautiful. 
‎
Once again I had the privilege to go to camp to pick Eli up on Tuesday morning after the full 2 week session ended. I found out in camp that Eli penned a phrase that stuck “FOR THE SAKE OF TORAH” which Eli scrame at the end of each learning group. He made so many new friends and felt so at home it was an experience he will never forget. 
‎
Before camp we were at MSKCC to get transfusions and to see the DR. At the time we were there the DR ended up on vacation but today before we left NY he was there so we went to see him. BH the DR only had good news and good ideas for us which we need to discuss with the DR in LA but BAH Eli is now eligible for studies and treatments that not that long ago weren’t on the table at all. 
‎
This news is beyond amazing and it is only thru literally miracles that we have seen and thru all the davening that is done constantly on Eli’s behalf. We beezrat hashem hope that this only continues with even better news as each day passes. 
‎
For now the plan is to see the DR in LA Friday morning and start again on Monday-Friday chemo the same chemo Eli has been getting for many months. 
‎
We also had a great mazal that this organization called Corporate Angel Network arranged our flight home from Teterboro to Long Beach on American Express private jet. They allow children with cancer travelling to or from Dr visits to use this amazing system to avoid germs and all the hassle of flying on a commercial flight. 

Please as always continue having Elimelech Ben Basya and all cholim in your tefilos.   ‎

We landed Monday night and went to our home away from home to our cousins in NYC. Tuesday morning we were at MSKCC and spent a few hours there doing a check up and transfusions. Unfortunately the DR was out of town so we didn’t get that part done but maybe after camp we will try that. 

WED morning we got an early start for the 2 hour drive to camp. There are no words to describe the feeling upon entering camp. There are literally hundreds of staff roaring and cheering each and every kid as they arrive. Eli knew a lot of faces and the ones he didn’t all came over and introduced themselves and made Eli feel as comfortable and happy as possible. The grounds of Camp Simcha are 5 star and there’s nothing there they don’t have. The staff, the nurses, Doctors, counselors, games, lakes, activities, game rooms, it’s nothing you can imagine unless you actually see it. 

Eli met his counselor and felt right at home with him. He also knows a few of the counselors in his bunk house from Miami marathon, some from coming to visit in LA and others from Instagram. I spent 4 hours with him and making sure that all was set and I felt totally at ease leaving Eli for the 2 week session. He texted us later that he’s having a blast and is enjoying every second. We know he will enjoy every second and even though we will miss him we are really happy with the decision that we sent him. We hope he will have time to post a few pictures on Instagram over the next few weeks @EliGradon is his name if you aren’t yet following him. ‎
‎
Please keep Elimelech Ben Basya and all cholim‎ in your tefilos. 
‎

There hasn’t been a post lately as there hasn’t been anything to post. We have been working on helping Eli gain weight and BH that happened with eating and TPN. He looks and feels a lot stronger and noticeably gained weight BAH. We finished on Friday another round of chemo and it went pretty well with little side effects. 

The good news was that as a result of the stem cell transplant a few weeks prior Eli’s platelets climbed higher then they have been in a long time. The issue now is do we postpone chemo to try to let them climb higher even and then possibly let Eli be eligible for a study or will that gd forbid let the cancer come back if he’s off of treatment for any extended period of time. Either way for now‎ since what we are doing is having an effect we are going to stay with it for the time being but we are being proactive in planning for the future. 
‎
‎We are currently on the plane to NY to bring Eli to CAMP SIMCHA!!! We will IYH land late Monday evening and we will be taking Eli to MSKCC Tuesday morning to see the DR there and get a blood transfusion so that hopefully Eli can be in Camp without worrying about getting any transfusions. In addition we have been weaning Eli off of TPN so that he can enjoy every minute of the camp experience without dealing with any medical issues beezrat hashem. We have been in full contact with the amazing staff there and know and trust that it will be an amazing experience. It’s a 2 week camp full of non stop fun and we hope that Eli loves and enjoyes every second of it. Camp begins WED and we look forward to bringing Eli there. 

Please as always have Elimelech Ben Basya and all cholim in your tefilos. ‎

We got back early Monday morning from a truly unforgettable trip to Israel. We accomplished what we mainly went for which was to daven by the kosel, Kever rochel, some of Eli’s Great grandparents‎ Graves, Kivrei Tzadikim and to receive as many brochos as possible. 
‎
By every rov and rebbe we went to Eli was very warmly greeted and asked for a brocha for himself and all children in similar situations. Eli got brochos from R Dovid Soloveitchik, R Yitzchok Scheiner, R Reuven Elbaz, R Tuvia Weiss, R Nachman Levovitz, Pinsk Karlin Rebbe, Dushinsky Rebbe and many other chashuvim. We also went to a cheder of 1600 kids in Sanhedria Morchevet called Chochmas Shlomo where every single kid in the cheder knew of the name Elimelech Ben Basya. It was very inspiring to see them saying tehilim specially for Eli daily.   ‎
‎
We also went at least once a day sometimes twice to the kosel and Eli davened very hard there‎. Just walking around Yerushalayim was enjoyable where so many people we have never seen would just come over and say refua shelayma or ask for Elis tehilim name. 
‎
Shabos was extremely nice and relaxed in the hotel where we ate together with a lot of LA people at the Wolmark Sheva Brochos where so many people went out of their way to make sure Eli had anything and everything he wanted. After the long trip we finally got on the plane and we both fell asleep as soon as the plane took off and we slept straight for 11+ hours!!

BH when we got back we went to CHLA to have Eli’s labs checked and BAH Eli held his own and didn’t need any transfusions. On Thursday is the next scheduled DR appt at which we hope Eli will be cleared to begin chemo once again on Monday. 

Please as always have Elimelech Ben Basya in all your tefilos. Also I forgot the last time I wrote the list of young cholim to include  ‎Yehuda Ben Margalit Sara as well as Minka Sara Bas Devora Gittel bsoch shaar choley yisroel. 

For the last few months we have tried arranging for Eli to go to Israel but each opportunity didn’t work for different reasons. ‎BH this time it worked. We left Los Angeles on Monday on the direct ELAL flight and landed Tuesday 2PM. We relaxed on Tuesday for a few hours and then headed to the Wolmark wedding where they gave Eli star treatment!! After a few hours Eli got tired and we headed to Yerushalayim to our hotel for a good night sleep. 

Wednesday morning our first stop was the Kosel where Eli davened for a long while for himself as well as a long list of other young cholim fighting the same machla. It was a very special moment and I was able to see Eli was happy he did it. From there after a short break it was onto Kever Rochel where once again he davened for friends and family and everyone. 

Late in the day I took Eli to the Mir Yeshiva to see where I learned and what goes on in a yeshiva and Eli was very impressed. We took a walk thru Geula and Meah Shearim and Eli thoroughly enjoyed. Thursday we hope to go to kvarim of Eli’s Great Grandparents and kivrei tzadikim. We have a lot to try to accomplish in the short time we have here and hope to be able to do that. 

We owe a tremendous amount of Hakaros Hatov to Shlomo Yehuda and Tamar Rechnitz for arranging this trip for Eli from start to finish. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Eli and so far he is very much taking advantage of every minute here. 
‎
Elimelech Ben Basya bsoch shaar choley yisroel lrefua shelayma bkarov ‎
‎

At the end of last week we received BAH great news. The bone marrow biopsy which 6 months ago showed the marrow being nearly completely full of disease is now nearly all clear!!! This is extremely good news and it only happened with a lot of zchusim of tefila that everyone is doing on Eli’s behalf. 
‎
As a result of this early Monday morning we will IYH be back in CHLA to do a stem cell transplant using some of the stem cells they harvested from Eli at the time of diagnosis. Beezrat hashem this will help jump start Eli’s platelets to hopefully levels we haven’t seen in a long time which in turn may make Eli eligible for studies that he hasn’t been able to be part of because of low platelets. The actual transplant is a IV bag that takes about 7 minutes to empty thru his line but they before and after need to hydrate Eli for a few hours. 
‎
Aside from the good news on paper it has also given Eli a mental boost and he feels very good about himself. He has been doing a lot of walking and activities that not that long ago didn’t seem physically possible. BH the TPN has also helped and the scale is clearly showing it aloing with the way he looks. 
‎
As good as this all this and it’s amazing we still have a very long road ahead before they consider Eli is remission but it’s a great start and any good news we get is always accepted. ‎
‎
Please continue as always having Elimelech Ben Basya in all your tefilos.