Elmwood Park Zoo to host ‘EllapaZoola’ benefit for local girl with rare disease

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The President of the A-Team, C.J. Santangelo, above, with Ella, offered for Ella to be the beneficiary of an A-Team event. (Image submitted)

By Katie Kohler

In the beloved children’s book, “Where the Wild Things Are,” the main character, Max, is hailed as the king of the Wild Things and enjoys a wild rumpus with his subjects.

On November 4th at Elmwood Park Zoo, Royersford eight-year-old Ella Smith will experience the real thing.

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The A-Team, a local charitable organization, and Elmwood Park Zoo announced a collaborative, family oriented event, “EllapaZoola,” to raise money for the family of Smith, who is battling cancer. It starts at noon and will feature “fun, food, music, and animals at the Elmwood Park Zoo.”

But the wild rumpus almost remained confined to the pages of fiction. In 2016, Ella Smith was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare disease in which cancerous cells form a mass in muscle tissue. Ella endured weekly chemo for 9 months, 28 rounds of radiation, proton therapy and surgery to remove her shrunken tumor.

During that time, she was introduced to the A-Team at a golf outing and shortly after, they reached to her parents, Ron and Karen, about hosting an event to raise funds for her.

The family considered it, but declined. Insurance was covering everything, and they didn’t feel worthy of the funding and energy required for an event at that point.

The Smith’s asked for prayers and emotional support from the A-Team. They also stayed connected with the A-Team by attending events for other children with cancer. The treatment plan was successful, and Ella was officially in remission.

However before Thanksgiving in 2017, Ella’s family learned that the cancer had returned. Ella is in her second fight with rhabdomyosarcoma, which has metastasized to her lungs.

The President of the A-Team, C.J. Santangelo, again offered for Ella to be the beneficiary of A-Team’s next event but Karen declined.

“Karen felt money couldn’t fix it,” explained Santangelo. “Ella also has anxiety and she was worried about putting her through too much.”

After a few months, Karen began missing work due to spending time at the hospital with Ella and there was a financial strain. She then accepted the A-Team’s offer.

The A-Team gets many requests for help and Santangelo says this was the first time they were ever rejected.

“In Ella’s case it was personal because she’s a little girl with cancer and that’s what got me started doing this,” said Santangelo. Santangelo lost his aunt to childhood cancer when she was five-years-old.

“I was disappointed when they said ‘no’ but it touched me to see them keep coming to events. It was important for them to see if it was right for them and their family. I feel like we’ve earned their trust.”

Santangelo recalled speaking with Karen and noted that when she declined and accepted she did so in a manner that was “emotional, humble and grateful.”

“Don’t feel guilty for taking love, attention and funding if needed because you don’t know where this is going to go. If we get her into remission and a miracle does happen you will be able to pay this forward to the next kid. You don’t have to feel like you are not worthy,” Santangelo told Karen.

The A-Team is dedicated to supporting families impacted by disease and disaster. They raise money to support families where parents are challenged to maintain their typical work lives while trying to provide care for their children. In addition to providing financial support, they also strive to provide emotional support to the patient and family through the A-Team’s broad network of other families that they have supported.

“We always fall in love with the child and the family. In this case, because they declined and were humble about it, it makes it more special for us,” said Santangelo.

Ella, a student of Brooke Elementary, also holds celebrity status. The beautiful, shy girl was chosen to be a Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia ambassador to help increase pediatric cancer awareness and raise money for cancer research and treatment. Her picture is on billboards on I-95, in CHOP promotions, and she called the runners to take their mark during CHOP’s Parkway Run & Walk.

“If I do this for CHOP, I’ll do it for the A-Team. It just isn’t for me, it’s for all the kids,” Ella said after the CHOP Run and Walk.

“I thought that was special for an 8-year-old to say,” said Santangelo. “We are working to make this the best day we can and raise awareness and funds. It’s very difficult to explain to a family who we are, what we do, and what we represent because we do look a bit rough around the edges. We don’t do typical black tie affairs or golf outings.”

But they do a wild rumpus.

On November 4th you can hear them all roar.

“We’re proud to support the A-Team by providing the amazing, family friendly Elmwood Park Zoo environment for EllapaZoola,” said Al Zone, Director and CEO of the Elmwood Park Zoo. Tickets for the event are available in advance via the A-Team’s website and can also be purchased at the Elmwood Park Zoo on the day of the event.

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