sat . 💔 A Mother’s Goodbye: Sharing Her Son’s Final Moments to Help Others Listen to the Signs

A Southeast Texas mother is finding the strength to share the most painful moments of her life — the final moments she spent holding her teenage son as he lost his battle with cancer. She says telling his story is the only way she knows how to cope after laying him to rest over the weekend.

Last summer, 15-year-old Elijah Estrada began complaining about pain in his legs. A limp. Nothing alarming. Nothing that felt urgent. After three doctor visits, doctors finally ordered an MRI at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. The results changed everything: a tumor on his spine.

A word no parent is ever prepared to hear — cancer.

Elijah’s mother, Adrienna, describes her son as joyful and full of life. He loved music. He loved to sing. He loved to dance. Movement was part of who he was — until cancer began to take it away.

Within weeks, a high-grade glioma stole Elijah’s ability to walk. Then it spread to his brain. Radiation couldn’t stop it. Chemotherapy couldn’t slow it. But the disease never took his spirit.

“He stayed in high spirits,” his mom shared. “He laughed. He never complained. Not once.”

On December 26 — the day after Christmas — Elijah passed away.

In his final moments, Elijah told his mom he was scared. She held him close and told him the truth: that she was scared too. But she promised him she wasn’t leaving — and that God would protect him.

Now, this family wants other parents to hear one thing clearly.

Elijah’s first symptom was just a limp. What they thought was a sprained ankle became something unimaginable. If something feels off, get it checked. Even when it feels small. Even when it doesn’t seem urgent.

🙏 Please keep Elijah’s family in your hearts.
And if you’re a parent reading this — trust your instincts.