Children's Hospital Heroes - Elizabeth Eastham

Six-year-old Elizabeth Eastham of Ennis found comfort and healing in horseback riding as she fought cancer.

Doctors found a cancerous tumor the size of a baseball on one of Elizabeth's kidneys when she was 4 years old.  The aggressive cancer spread to her lungs. She had surgery to remove the tumor and kidney.  The surgery was followed by eight weeks of radiation and 40 weeks of chemotherapy at Children's Medical Center of Dallas.

Elizabeth spent 14 days in the ICU and at one point, her heart started to fail. 

"You just had to rally up everything you had, your strength, to fight for her and know that God would give you the strength to keep going. But, that was the tough part." Angela Eastham, Elizabeth's mother said. 

When Elizabeth was feeling strong enough, her mother would take her to the Campfire Creek Therapeutic Riding Center in Waxahachie. It's a place where Elizabeth would forget she was sick.

"She said when she is on a horse she felt free. During the worst of the chemo she needed stuff like that to lift her spirits. And, keep her happy. It was amazing. A horse, an animal can do that." Eastham said.

Elizabeth's cancer is gone and she's healthy. She continues weekly horseback riding lessons at the riding center.  When she grows up, she says she wants to be a cowgirl.

To make a donation to Children's Miracle Network click here.

To learn more about Campfire Creek Therapeutic Riding Center click here.