A message from Elizabeth (Elias's Mom)

Hi, My name is Elizabeth Razo from Roseville, CA. My Fiancé Estevan and I would like to share our 5 year old son Elias Christian Galindo’s story. On January 25th, 2024, at just three years old, our sweet Elias was diagnosed with an Optic Nerve Glioma, a rare and challenging brain tumor that affects Elias’ vision in his left eye and turned our family’s world upside down. The devastating news shattered our sense of security, leaving us heartbroken and fearful for what lie ahead.

We began Chemotherapy right away in February after his port was placed. In July, during his first cycle of maintenance, Elias started to experience an anaphylactic reaction to one of the Chemotherapy medications. He also began experiencing symptoms of neuropathy, which is a side effect of Chemotherapy. Since stopping Chemotherapy the symptoms have resolved. Chemo has been a very traumatic experience for Elias and his hospitalizations have been disheartening. But amidst the uncertainty and pain, Elias became a shining light of strength and resilience.

We have since agreed to stop treatment and explore the option of surgery to have the tumor removed. We have found a well-renowned Neurosurgeon in Memphis, Tennessee who is very skilled and familiar with the type of surgery that Elias needs. He has agreed to take our son’s case and explained that having the tumor removed is a potential cure.

We did travel to Memphis, Tennessee for surgery back in September of 2024, but the ophthalmologist working with Dr. Klimo made the call to postpone the surgery because Elias still had peripheral vision. They did not feel comfortable going through with the surgery at that point because they normally perform surgery to remove the tumor once all vision has been lost. They explained that peripheral vision is essential to his development and they would like him to use it for as long as possible. The plan was then to continue to closely monitor his tumor every 3 months with MRI’s and no further treatment until all vision in his left eye has been lost. In April of 2025 his tumor began to grow slightly bigger and has continued to grow at a steady rate but still has not reached the chiasm still making him a great candidate for surgery. In August Elias lost complete vision in his left eye and is no longer able to tell us how many fingers we are holding up or perceive light.

We were scheduled to go back to Memphis for surgery with Dr. Klimo and his team January of 2026, but authorization for surgery was denied by insurance even after appeals. Dr. Klimo and his team have been willing to work with us and give us time to look for private individual insurance for Elias.

Despite the countless doctor visits, exhausting treatments, and even traveling to access the best possible care, Elias has never lost his infectious smile. His unwavering spirit and positive attitude have become a source of inspiration for everyone around him.

Elias’ journey is far from over. He continues to fight, enduring the rigorous demands of monitoring his tumor through constant MRI’s with incredible courage. God has been at the forefront of Elias' journey and has armed him with his strength and unbreakable spirit. Please pray for Elias' and our family as we continue to stand beside him. We cannot do this alone!

How Your Donations Will Help

With your generosity, your donations will be used to directly purchase a private individual health insurance plan for Elias. Your donations will also help us pay for copays, medications, and travel expenses. It will help us to provide the best possible care and surgery to have his tumor removed and salvage his eye. Medi-Cal/ California State Insurance has denied authorization for his surgery arguing that it can be done here at home. But they are failing to recognize there is a big difference in how the surgery is done. Here at home the surgery is more invasive as they want to remove his eye with the tumor and give him a prosthesis. Whereas, Dr. Klimo and his team will reconnect his eye after removing the tumor with hopes that within his lifetime and the medical advances of nerve regeneration Elias will have the potential to be able to see again.