CLEARLAKE, Calif. – On Feb. 21 of this year, 6-year-old Ellie Swanson, a rare little girl, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
Its clinical name is ganglioneuroblastoma, and it develops from nerve cells.
Ellie is among the five children out of one million children each year that experts say are stricken with the condition.
On Saturday, May 3, the city of Clearlake where the Swanson family lives and people from throughout Lake County will have an opportunity to come to her aid in a fundraising dinner at the Clearlake Senior Community Center at 3245 Bowers Ave.
Funds from the dinner, which will include a silent and live auction will help pay the costs of four rounds of chemotherapy for Ellie.
The dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. Doors open a half-hour earlier. Costs are $20 for adults and $10 for children under 12 years old.
Melissa Swanson, Ellie’s mother, said she was told by doctors that her daughter’s condition is usually diagnosed in newborn to 2-year-old infants.
“Her doctor told me Ellie probably contracted it right after she was born and has been there all along,” said Melissa, who is the clerk for the city of Clearlake.
Ellie’s cancerous tumor was discovered in her left lung during an examination for what was thought to be a severe cold and possibly pneumonia.
The tumor was is 10 millimeters, or about the size of two adult male fists.
Since the diagnosis, Ellie’s parents, Thomas and Melissa, have needed to ensure that she doesn’t exert herself, because she quickly runs out of breath as a result of the tumor.
Otherwise, said Melissa, “Ellie is a little ball of sunshine, wonderment and energy,” who loves to play with her 18-year-old brother Christopher, who is a freshman at the University of Hawaii.
Tommy, a second brother, is a 13-year freshman at Lower Lake High School.
“Ellie is very smart,” Melissa added. “She is a first-grader who reads at a fourth-grade level. Her teacher is amazed at how quickly she learns and takes on projects that are higher than her grade level.”
The Swanson family lives in the Pomo Elementary School District, but at present Ellie is being taught at home.
The cost for treating Ellie, Melissa says, is in the seven-figure range.
“If we didn’t have insurance,” she added, “we would be in debt for hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Anyone who would like to contribute to the Swanson Family Benefit Fund in behalf of Ellie or learn more about her may obtain additional information by logging on to http://www.gofundme.com/Team-Ellie .
Email John Lindblom at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .