July 13, 2011
Vol 13 No 28
February 4, 2015
‘I wanted to be a hero’
Recipes
Sweet potatoes
Photos courtesy City of St. Charles School District RIGHT: 17-year-old Noah Elliott, shows off a tattoo reminiscent of a Superman logo with a cancer ribbon instead of the “S.” Elliott, who attends the Success Campus in the St. Charles School District, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, soon after he turned 16. ABOVE: (From left) Laurie Juergensen, Success Campus director, with Noah Elliott and Elisa Rael, Success Campus secretary.
For most people, growing up is a process. For 17-year-old Noah Elliott, growing up came with a diagnosis. Elliott, who attends the Success Campus in the St. Charles School District, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, soon after he turned 16. He was celebrating his birthday when he injured his left leg in a skateboarding accident. While seeking medical treatment, Elliott’s doctor noticed something unusual about his left knee and suggested that he go to Children’s Hospital for further tests. On Monday, July 16th, 2013, Elliot learned he had cancer. “When you hear that, it’s so overwhelming that you’re in shock,” he said. The doctors at Children’s Hospital informed Elliott that he had osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer that most commonly affects teenagers. Within three days of the diagnosis, Elliot was receiving chemotherapy treatments for the cancer and was confined to crutches to keep pressure off his leg, which had become delicate. In an effort to save Elliott’s leg, he was prescribed an aggressive treatment that required 4-48 hour sessions of chemotherapy a month, among other chemical treatments and surgeries to replace the cancerous bone with chrome pieces. The
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Girl Scouts get in gear
Resilient student turns cancer diagnosis into opportunity to help others
Healthy Living
extended hospital stays took a toll on Elliott’s body and mind. “Beyond the normal puking and just feeling awful, I have hearing loss and kidney damage from the chemo,” Elliott said. “When you feel bad all the time, you have waves of depression that are hard to fight through.” It was in these bouts of depression when Elliott made a conscious decision to change his mind set and evaluate how he was dealing with his situation. “I remember seeing kids who were half my age who were going through the same things I was and thinking that I should do something to help them out,” Elliot said. “From then on, when I was physically able, I went around and talked to the kids, told them jokes, did whatever I could to put a smile on their face.” “That’s why I got this,” said Elliott, pointing a tattoo reminiscent of a Superman logo with a cancer ribbon instead of the “S.” “It’s to remind me that cancer could break you or make you a hero. I wanted to be a hero.” Brightening the days of others became Elliott’s therapy; a way for him to circumvent the pain he was feeling by lessening the pain of others. The staff at Children’s Hospital took notice of Elliott’s efforts to help others and decided to reward him by nominating him for a trip to Colorado sponsored by
the Sunshine Kids, a non-profit organization that, according to their website, provides “positive group activities and emotional support for young cancer patients.” It was in Colorado where Noah Elliott fell in love; with the scenery, the Sunshine Kids organization and the other kids he met who were going through similar trials and tribulations. The people he met on the trip permanently changed the way he looked at life and what he wanted to do moving forward. See HERO on page 2
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