Cancer Warrior, Revel McElyea

About Fourth & Gold

Founded by Erin, Fourth & Gold officially became a 5013C non-profit organization in July 2022. Much of the team is lead by healthcare professionals that are on the frontlines of oncological practice, helping children and their families battle cancer everyday.

Donate Today

Shop to Find a Cure

Each week, Fourth and Gold will highlight a cancer warrior who has bravely and fiercely stood strong against cancer. At Fourth and Gold, we want you to see the faces behind our drive and connect with them in a way you wouldn’t have been able to if you didn’t take the stand to demand #MoreThan4. Our precious kids have cancer, but cancer is not who they are.


Week of March 31st, 2018

Warrior boy, Revel McElyea AKA RevStrong (The Leader), diagnosed with stage 4 MYCN+ neuroblastoma at 14 months of age.

Current age: 2 (DOB 11-17-15)

Favorite things: Revel loves the movie cars, being outside, and building things with his right hand man, dad! Rev loves his cookie monster and Thomas the Train wooden toys. A special trait of Revel’s is that he’s always smiling, laughing and being the light in dark times

Favorite foods: Revel’s main favorite is fruit loops, but give him anything mommy and daddy are eating and he’s a happy little boy!

If you know Revel, you know that he: has the most beautiful soul. Revel just loves being the center of attention wherever he goes. Revel is full of so much joy and light, when he laughs or smiles, you’re automatically going to do the same. Rev’s eyes make the bluest skies look gray. At just two years old, Revel is an adventurer, a fierce warrior, a fighter, and a cancer killer.

What you cannot see here is that Revel during his initial diagnoses has undergone:

  • 7 rounds of chemotherapy
  • 8 surgeries
  •  2 stem cell transplants
  • 12 radiation treatments
  • 50+ blood transfusions
  • 4 immunotherapy treatments
  • Over 250 days in the hospital 

After Revel relapsed:

  • 2 Intubations
  • 5 rounds of chemotherapy treatments
  • A plane ride to Johns Hopkins hospital 

While we want you to fall in love with the sweetness of Revel and those beautiful blue eyes, we also want you to see the harsh reality that is childhood cancer. The truth is, Revel’s next steps are unknown. With the government only giving childhood cancer research 4% of all funding, his options are limited. There is current hope that Revel may be placed into a study receiving drugs that have unknown side effects, but his parents are heavily weighing his quantity vs quality of life. Can you imagine? Having to process all of the emotions and pain, but still be expected to make life or death decisions for your TWO year old? Deciding between giving him more toxins with unknown side effects that could POSSIBLY prolong his life, but at an unknown expense? Versus letting him be the happy, smiling, fierce little boy he has been recently, but not knowing how much time he has left? It is NOT fair. It is NOT right. And Revel deserves MORE THAN FOUR. Revel deserves the WORLD. 

One of the hardest things as a pediatric oncology nurse is witnessing first hand the struggles the children and their families face. Emotionally, physically and spiritually. As a nation, a society, and as humans, we owe our children #morethan4. Let’s riseUP, be the change and give our precious kids a fighting chance.

.

.

.

Browse our site on ways to help fierce warriors, just like Revel.

#MoreThan4 #NotRare #GoingForTheCure

 

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest