Boy, 11, fled to hospital after headache turned out to have a sinister cause

When Elijah Portillo, 11, fell at school a few months ago and had trouble standing, his parents took him to the doctor to make sure he was okay.

The health care provider said Elijah was doing well, and that the headaches, nausea and dizziness the boy experienced could have been the result of a virus or high blood pressure.

But the high school student’s headaches wouldn’t go away and became so severe that he couldn’t sleep at night. His mother, Michelle, knew something was wrong.

They visited the doctor again and took him to an emergency room in Las Vegas, Nevada. There he underwent a CT scan, which makes images of the brain, bones, blood and organs.

The scan revealed a 3.5cm tumor lurking at the base of his skull, near the part of the brain that controls balance, movement and posture, which may have contributed to his fall.

Elijah’s father, Richard Portillo, told local outlet Fox5 The doctor said he had to be airlifted to a better equipped hospital in Utah.

Mr. Portillo quickly packed a bag for himself and his son so they could be transported there Basic Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake Cityfor which the boy would undergo a seven-hour operation remove his brain tumor.

Because Elijah’s mother is on dialysis and blind, she was unable to come and stayed in Las Vegas to care for their two other sons.

Richard said seeing the tumor in his son’s skull and the emergency surgery was terrifying. He told FOX5: ‘It’s the scariest experience I’ve ever had in my life’

Richard flew with his son to the hospital in Utah. His wife Michelle had to stay home to look after Richard’s brothers and cannot travel because she is blind and on dialysis

Richard said Fox5 Vegas: ‘The biggest lesson we have learned as parents is: respond. A lot of people say they’re trying to get out of school or whatever.

‘This was not the case. He had a life-threatening condition.”

The surgery took place on October 24 and for almost a week the family waited for the results that would tell them whether Elijah’s tumor was cancerous or not.

The biopsy came back on October 30 with news that Elijah had brain cancer, although the family did not specify which type.

A family member posted on a GoFundMe page for the family: “Elijah’s biopsy results came back with the worst possible result.

‘Elijah has cancer and is going to fight with everything he has. He won’t give up and is determined to beat this!’

They said he still has a long way to go with treatment consisting of chemotherapy or radiation.

And the family is still mourning the loss of their son Art to Covid in 2020 and their daughter Jasmine to an accident in 2023.

The family has been given two choices for treatment: return to Las Vegas for chemo and radiation or stay in Utah for six weeks of chemotherapy aimed at the tumor, which is expected to produce better results and be easier on Elijah.

While this is the “preferred treatment,” the post continued, it comes with increased financial hardship.

Now Elijah will have to stay in the hospital for the foreseeable future and may have to undergo another surgery due to an accident he had.

A post on GoFundMe stated that Elijah had fallen into the toilet, causing a tube with fluid draining from his skull to fall out, and that he may need to undergo a procedure to have it re-inserted.

The GoFundMe Arrangements have been made for his medical expenses, as Richard is the family’s sole breadwinner, but he has had to take time off work to be with his son in Utah.

But Richard said his son’s spirit kept him going: “If Elijah hadn’t been so positive, I wouldn’t have been able to get through this.”