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Ramarui Family
Elilai's Story
Elilai was always a curious girl. She probably got it from her dad Abel, an engineer. When Abel was working from home, Elilai would sit under his desk and “work” with him. They have built robots and spaceships and currently love working on math together.
A man of few words, he would simply say of his daughter, “I just love that girl.” Elilai is also full of spunk, probably from her mom, Melody, who encouraged her to do “all the things”. Mom describes her daughter as, “A wonderful mix of a social butterfly who could also be an engineer.” Elilai was cheering and tumbling her way through life when one day in March of 2022, a swollen bump in her elbow sent her to the doctor. Within days Elilai was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma and began a 9-month journey of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
Elilai’s treatment included 28 rounds of chemotherapy and 33 days of radiation. She remained positive, and family and friends would tell Abel and Melody that Elilai was tough and resilient. Even so, treatment was hard for the family and inhibited much of Elilai’s childhood. In October, Elilai got frustrated that her blood counts continued to be low. But Abel and Melody knew how to get her mind off things. They booked a stay in the Hello Kitty Suite at Clear Sky’s Resort in Flagstaff to help Elilai regain some of her spunk and push through her treatments.
Already so restricted by her treatments, the Covid quarantine further challenged the family as Elilai began radiation therapy. An ambulance was used to transfer her from Phoenix Children’s to Mayo Clinic for her radiation treatments. She convinced the transport drivers to use the lights and sirens! On the way back, she asked to stop at Starbucks, asking to go in herself. Her nurses didn’t think that was the best idea, but Abel made sure she got her favorite drink, caramel ribbon frappe. Elilai pushed through her radiation treatment with a lighthearted spirit, and her parents would say she had no fear.
Elilai was an encouragement to others during her own treatment as well. During a CCN’s Just for Girls Night in 2022, Elilai wanted to be friends with Spencer, another gal who was on treatment. She asked Melody if she could put on a mask so she could talk to her without causing any harm. They met again at CCN’s Parent Date Night prompting Elilai to send Spencer a card with the encouragement, “You’re tough. You’re brave. You’ve got this.”
Elilai’s strength carried her through the tough 9-months of treatment. When she finished in December of 2022, Elilai celebrated with her nurses and doctors. Wanting to celebrate with other patients on their cancer journey, Elilai donated her end of treatment signs and today, they can be found still in use at both Phoenix Children’s and Mayo Clinic. She continued to celebrate and 2023 became Elilai’s year of “Living my best life!”.
Though Elilai closes this chapter of her story, the Ramarui family continues to share their story. They encourage others to “Trust the process.” These days, you’ll find Elilai continuing to live her best life, trying “all the things.” She tried out for the volleyball and basketball teams. At one game, the coach called her in and she took the last shot of the game. She missed, yet she was overwhelmed with feelings by the opportunity. The other team came over and told her she was brave for taking the shot. She is giving golf a try next. Maybe you’ll see her at the next Tommy Bahama Sunset Classic Golf Tournament benefiting Children’s Cancer Network.
“You’re tough. You’re brave. You’ve got this.”
