Little Elijah Leffingwell underwent major surgery while he was still in utero after doctors discovered the unborn infant had an enormous tumour growing on his lung.
Elijah’s mother April and father Jason gave the go-ahead for doctors to operate on their unborn son in an effort to remove a growth which surgeons at the time said was three-and-a-half times the size of Elijah’s head.
Speaking about the surgery and aware that the tumour could have crushed Elijah’s other organs, his courageous mum said: “If we didn’t do it, there was no chance.”
The surgery did not go smoothly however, and Elijah’s diaphragm was inadvertently pierced during the procedure which caused further complications.
The baby boy, who was born seven weeks premature, was rushed immediately to intensive care upon his arrival, and yet despite all this, Elijah is not expected to suffer any long-term effects.
His proud parents have revealed, however, that their son’s difficult birth means that two-year-old Elijah is of a cautious nature, with his mum saying: “He walks through life making sure he is going to be OK.”
What a brave little boy!
