11-year-old son's simple headache has become 'life-threatening'

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A Las Vegas father is warning other parents to pay attention to their children’s health and simple symptoms: His 11-year-old son’s headache examination led to an emergency air transport and brain surgery.

“The biggest lesson learned for us parents is to react. A lot of people say they’re trying to get out of school or nothing else. This was not the case. He had a life-threatening condition,” said Elijah’s father, Richard Portillo.

Last week, 11-year-old Elijah Portillo was flown from Las Vegas to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. Doctors performed emergency surgery to remove the 3-centimeter tumor at the base of his skull.

Jack L. Schofield Middle School student Elijah fell at school two months ago and had difficulty standing. When his family took him to the doctor’s office, a staff member evaluated him and determined that he was fine, noting that his blood pressure may have been the cause.

Over the last two weeks, Elijah’s headaches have gotten to the point where he is losing sleep.

That’s when the family took him to a local, freestanding emergency room. A CAT scan detected a mass in Elijah’s brain.

“The doctor said he needed to leave so he could be flown to Utah. I need to go home and pack a bag for Elijah and I because we’re going to be flown out,” Portillo said. His wife and Elijah’s mother are blind, on dialysis, and cannot go with them right away.

Doctors performed the seven-hour surgery late last week.

“I’m so relieved that he made it through the surgery. I’m forever grateful. I feel like the prayers worked 100%,” Portillo said.

Portillo said he is waiting for word on whether a second surgery is needed.

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