LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — Eli Paine, 6, is watching the flashing lights and hearing the sirens along his Loxahatchee street. It's a parade in his honor.
Family members and neighbors like Leigh Ann Robinson are watching with Eli.
"He's cognitively there," neighbor Leign Ann Robinson said. "He struggles with walking and talking, so any happiness that we can put in his heart, in a memory, it will bless him beyond measure."
Last year, Eli was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. He's fighting it with radiation and chemo treatments. The tumor affects his ability to walk and talk.
The Rev. Mike Eleveld is one of his neighbors.
"Found out about the parade and as a neighborhood, it's been wonderful to see how people have come together to help the family," he said.
The community is surrounding Eli and his parents with love and financial support.
"We all kind of watch over each other and take care of each other, get together when we can," Diane Eleveld said.
A community is standing by the family through these tough times and making every moment in Eli's life count.
"Anything we can do to give a little boost to Eli and his family, we are all going to do it," Diane Eleveld said. "We told them our whole neighborhood stands ready to jump in."
Robinson said she's happy to see that there's "still a lot of good in the world."
"And if we can all pull together and do this more often, we can make more happy times," she said.
The Rev. Mike Eleveld said the family had kept their Christmas lights on the house to this day. At night, they are turned on to remind people driving by to say a prayer for Eli.
"He's a great little boy," he said. "The neighbors, it's constant love and support and assurances of prayer."
A GoFundMe account, Hope for Eli, was created to help with expenses for Eli's next phase of treatment.
