Eli's Committee

Founded in 2021 in memory of Eli Martins, Eli's Childhood Cancer Foundation's mission is to help families battling childhood cancer and fund research for more treatment options focusing on rhabdomyosarcoma.

Eli was born on December 29, 2018 - a beautiful and healthy baby boy.  At 11 months old, his stomach started to swell, and he had a fever that lasted three days. After many tests, a large aggressive tumour was found in his abdomen - a type of cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma.

Eli began treatment immediately and the cancer responded well to chemotherapy.  At 15 months, Eli had his first surgery to remove the tumour. It was a complicated procedure that resulted in the removal of his prostate and a portion of his bladder. All visible evidence of the cancer was gone - Eli was in remission but treatment continued. In July 2020, four months after his surgery, the family received the devastating news that another tumour had grown in his abdomen. Eli was put on a more aggressive treatment plan and endured another six months of chemo with 28 days of radiation.

In March 2021, even with all the additional treatment, the cancer came back again.  Eli was enrolled on a new clinical trial, taking an adult cancer drug.  Tragically, the treatments available at the time failed Eli, and on June 13, 2021, Eli took his last breath.

Eli loved his family and being with friends.  He missed out on so many firsts - his first time on an airplane, riding on a roller coaster, and eating out at a restaurant. Eli's family often asks the question “what would Eli do" and this is why they continue to raise awareness and raise funds for childhood cancer research.