Bay Area pediatric patient determined not to let cancer win as he gears up for second battle

TAMPA, Fla. - One 11-year-old boy in Hillsborough County is getting ready to begin his second battle with cancer.

Elijah Yarde-Cephas, 11, was previously diagnosed with osteosarcoma. He rang the bell at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in the spring of 2023 and was in remission.

"I beat cancer," he said. "Not a lot of people do that."

Just before Christmas, Elijah was at a regular check-up with his surgeon.

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"Basically, I brought up to my doctor's attention that my leg was trying to hurt more," Elijah said.

Elijah poses for a photo with a member of his medical team during his first bout with cancer. 

After some tests and scans, doctors delivered familiar news to Elijah and his family.

"It feels like we’re in a time capsule and we just went backward," Elijah’s mother, Sheena Cephas, said.

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Doctors told Elijah that the cancer was back, and that he would have to undergo chemotherapy again.

"It was a question of why," Cephas said. "Why our family?"

Elijah found music therapy helped him while fighting cancer. 

When he got the news, Elijah says he felt the same way he did the first time he found out he had cancer. He says he broke down and cried.

"The sad part is, the thoughts of letting the other side win," Elijah said.

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But Elijah is determined not to let the cancer win.

"I just think to myself, how did I get through this the other time?" Elijah said.

Elijah and a member of his medical team play music together in the hospital. 

While he was in the hospital undergoing cancer treatment the first time, Elijah found an escape through music therapy.

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As a budding musician himself, Elijah decided to write his own song to thank the staff at the hospital for helping him through his treatment. He performed his song, ‘My Goodbye Song’, with his music therapist.

"I'm probably going to name it ‘The Destination’," he said.

Elijah plays a guitar as he gears up to battle cancer again. 

Elijah considers this journey a road trip.

"You have a stopping point, but you want to get to the destination at a different time," he said. "You might not get at the time you want."

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He considers this another stop along the way, and is determined that, with the support of his family and his faith, he will get through this new battle.

"I always tell him that he is my superhero, from the beginning to the end," Cephas said.

Elijah begins chemotherapy on Thursday. Cephas says Elijah will undergo chemo at an aggressive rate for six months.