The Story of AJ
AJ collapsed at a playground. Doctors at Schneider Children's discovered a massive brain tumor they couldn't surgically remove. Then came a breakthrough.
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AJ was playing at a park in Ra'anana when he suddenly stopped breathing.
His father, Elliot, called a taxi. The driver didn't ask questions—he drove straight to Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel. After a battery of tests, doctors delivered the devastating news: a massive 6.5-centimeter tumor was lodged deep in one of the most complex and dangerous areas of AJ’s brain.
Surgery to remove it wasn't possible.
Only a small biopsy could be performed.
AJ's condition was critical.
Three months of hospitalization followed: emergency neurosurgery for the biopsy, time spent intensive care, and consultations from nearly every department in the hospital. AJ’s parents, Elliot and Sarah, both immigrants to Israel—Elliot emigrated from the UK as a lone soldier; Sarah hailed from South Africa—stayed by their child’s side.
The prognosis was grim.
Then, a flicker of light: AJ was enrolled in an international clinical trial. The treatment involved an advanced, personalized biological drug developed specifically for pediatric brain tumors. Within three months, the tumor in AJ’s brain had shrunk by more than half. AJ's condition improved dramatically.
Today, one year after that fateful day at the park, AJ is back in preschool. He's playing with the other children. He's regaining his strength.
Last month, Elliot and Sarah welcomed a new baby—AJ's little brother.
According to Dr. Helen Toledano, Head of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Unit at Schneider Children's, "This was an extremely complex brain tumor. We had to make fast decisions, balancing the risks of inaction with the potential benefits of a new experimental biological therapy. After careful consideration, we chose the innovative path—and thankfully, it paid off. This is an extraordinary improvement for a child with such a complicated tumor."
At Schneider Children's, medical research and patient care are not mutually exclusive. They're integrated, which means children facing the most complex diagnoses have access to treatments that would not otherwise exist.
AJ's tumor is still in his brain. But it is shrinking. There is hope. There is healing. And that, in itself, is a miracle.
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