(Toledo News Now) -
The Palitta family lost
their son Elias Adin to cancer five years ago. Now they are raising money to
help families who have children with cancer.
Elias Adin's Comforting
Hearts is a non-profit organization started two years ago by the Palittas. They
created it with the hope of making life a little easier for other families
going through what they went through.
"We didn't know he had
cancer until the day he passed," said Kele Pallita, Elias's mother and
president of the organization.
Palitta took 7-month-old
Elias to the hospital because he was showing symptoms of the flu. The reality
was far more devastating.
"It happened so quick. It
was kind of, you know, a shocking thing where he was diagnosed, and in
literally seven hours he passed away from it," she said. "We really didn't have
time to adjust to what was going on, let alone losing him."
Palitta knew she had to do
something, so she started Elias Adin's Comforting Hearts. She puts baskets of
goodies together to help families who are struggling through the same thing.
"We do snacks, we do a
Scentsy Buddy, which is a scented stuffed animal for the children," Palitta
said. "And then we also put in coloring books, crayons, even a journal for the
parents so they can document the kind of everything that they are going
through."
The baskets have gone to
families at local children's hospitals like Mercy and Promedica, as well as the
Cleveland Clinic, Nation Way Children's in Columbus, and Motts in Ann Arbor.
"I can say it does get
easier," Palitta said. "I think the charity definitely helps, being able to
comfort these families, and know he stood for something. Just being here seven
short months, have him still present, you know, in everyone's life."
On Saturday, they'll be
holding their second annual Toledo's Most Eligible Bachelor and Bachelorette
date auction.
For more information on
the event or to donate, visit their
website here.
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