Teen Who Beat Cancer Saves Boy, 3, Struggling with Disease in Ukraine: 'Now We're Like Family' (Exclusive)

Elana Koenig and the Koenig Childhood Cancer Foundation she started helped save the life of a 2-year-old Ukrainian boy who was diagnosed with cancer as missiles rained down

Standing near home plate at New York City’s Citi Field last August, when the New York Mets were playing the Atlanta Braves, Elana Koenig took a deep breath and began her beautiful rendition of the National Anthem.

“Singing was very exciting, but I was nervous,” says Elana, now 14, who lives in Manhattan. “The stadium was huge. But I knew what I was doing was going to help a lot of people.”

Elana was happy to put her nerves aside because she was there representing the Koenig Childhood Cancer Foundation, which she founded in 2020.

The foundation has raised nearly $1.5 million and helped hundreds of children and their families with financial assistance, medical care and emotional support.

“Singing the National Anthem in front of so many was going to gain us so much publicity,” she says. "I wanted to help other kids who went through what I went through."

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In February 2016, Elana’s mother Rena noticed that her daughter was limping because she said her hip hurt. That July, Elana was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a rare, aggressive cancer she developed at the top of her femur and was treated for nearly a year at New York City’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

“I thought it was a death sentence,” says Rena, who made it through the ordeal with the help of top-rated doctors and nurses and other families who shared their experiences with the Koenigs.

Knowing how difficult intensive chemotherapy and numerous surgeries could be — Elana had 15 — she wanted to help other kids when she left MSK in May 2017. Her goal was to help pay for things they needed and to be there for them when they were scared.

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“That's such a horrible thing to go through as a kid,” she says.

The first child she helped was a friend from camp who was battling cancer and being made fun of because of the hair she lost.

“Her hair was permanently affected because of chemo and she was getting bullied in school for it,” says Elana. “So we got her a $5,000 laser cap that helped grow her hair back out.”

The foundation helps children and their families deal with unforeseen issues, says Rena, who uses the MBA she earned at NYU’s Stern School of Business to help run the foundation.

“When families come to us, we pick at least one problem and resolve it for the family so they can focus on their child,” says Rena. “We customize what we help with for each individual family.”

The foundation helped one family pay the mortgage for several months. It helped another family buy a wheelchair lift for their car.

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“The kid is 16 years old and he's going to be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, and dad is not able to carry him any longer, so we helped with the lift for the car," Rena says.

One of the most challenging situations for the foundation came in March 2022 when a father in Ukraine reached out to Elana on social media, asking for help after his then-2-year-old son was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, like Elana was.

Mark Negodiuk was scheduled to have a three-inch brain tumor removed on Feb. 25, 2022. But on Feb. 24, 2022, Russian invaded Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital where Mark was going to have the life-saving surgery, forcing his family to flee 500 miles away to Uzhhorod at the Hungarian border.

A doctor there performed the surgery, but was unable to give Mark further treatment.

After the surgery, while Mark recovered, he and his parents, Dmytro Negodiuk, 33, and Iryna Razhyk, 31, huddled in the basement of a building while missiles were reigning down on them.

“Being in the basement of a building under bombardment was extremely stressful and frightening, particularly while trying to care for a Mark,” Dmytro tells PEOPLE. “It's a situation of extreme tension, filled with concern not only for one's own safety but also for the well-being of the Mark.”

Desperate to save his son, Dmytro contacted Elana and the foundation, asking for help.

“The most terrifying thing was we do not know what to do, where to go, and how to help our son with treatment, as all Ukrainian hospitals were closed,” he says.

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The second Elana read Dmytro’s heartbreaking message, she and her mother jumped into action to help them.

“We met the boy on a live video call and we fell in love with him,” says Rena. “When you talk to them, that's it. You can't say no. You want to make it happen. And we were like, ‘We are not going to stand back. We are not going to back off. We are going to fight for them.’”

They helped the family leave Ukraine and come to the U.S., greeting them at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey when they got off the plane.

“Arriving at the airport and seeing Elana and her family gave [us] a wave of relief, gratitude and hope,” he says. “Their presence symbolized safety and hope for better future for Mark.”

Through the foundation, Elana and Rena found the family a place to stay and arranged for Mark to be treated at MSK.

“Going through treatment in NY was an emotional roller coaster,” says Dmytro. “The Koenigs were there with us in every step of it and we knew that we were in medically good hands.

“Today we are thrilled to say that Mark has been cancer free for more than a year! He is a happy boy. We are grateful for every moment that Mark is with us.”

The Koenigs feel the same way.

“They’re like our extended family,” says Rena, who has invited the Negodiuks to their Manhattan apartment to celebrate holidays, their wedding anniversary and Mark’s third birthday.

“He’s the little brother I never had,” says Elana.

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Elana is far from finished helping kids with cancer. Besides continuing to raise money for the foundation, her “dream” is to raise money for an apartment in New York City where they can house families whose children are being treated for cancer.

“We want to have a KCCF house that's near the hospital so that the kids we're helping have a place to stay,” says Elana. “As long as kids need the help, we have to be there for them.”

To donate to the Koenig Childhood Cancer Foundation, visit thekccf.org/donate.

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