Brick by Brick

by Emma Dixon

When nine-year-old Elliott Pritsker talks about Lego sets, he isn’t just thinking about building them. He’s also thinking about sharing them.

A rising fourth-grader at English Estates Elementary School, Elliott has spent much of the past two years undergoing treatment for a rare form of leukemia at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.        

Along the way, working on Lego projects became one of the things that helped him cope with long hospital stays, difficult treatments, and the uncertainty that comes with cancer. Now, he’s helping bring comfort to other children at the same hospital that treated him.

Elliott lives in Casselberry with his family: mom Heather, an instructional coach and counselor at PSI High at Seminole High School; dad Arkady, director of solutions architecture for Parsons Corporation; and younger brother Oliver, age seven.

“Oliver is Elliott’s best friend, biggest supporter, and a constant source of laughter for the family,” says Heather.

In April 2024, Elliott broke his foot, and it was during treatment for the injury that doctors diagnosed him with leukemia. His medical journey has included lengthy hospital stays, losing his hair, painful procedures, and a frightening battle with sepsis. The pain of treatment left him unable to walk for a period of time, which was frustrating for the energetic boy. Knowing how much he loves Lego projects, Elliott’s uncle sent him a Harry Potter Gringotts Wizarding Bank set to build.

If You Build It

“He immediately began assembling it,” says Heather. “It took his mind off his legs, his pain, the medication. He was just Elliott, doing Legos.”

Since then, every hospital stay has included a Lego project. Elliott builds the sets in his room, proudly displaying the finished projects for hospital staff and visitors to admire.

“He’s loved Legos since he was about three,” says Heather. “He likes following the directions and understanding there is an end goal in mind. He likes the predictability.”

Recently, Elliott’s school and hospital worlds collided, in just the right way. A familiar face – that of Martha Lewis – was working with her therapy dog (Waffles) on the pediatric oncology floor where Elliott was receiving treatment. Martha is also a gifted and enrichment teacher at English Estates Elementary. At the hospital, Martha and Waffles were able to spend quality time with Elliott, and she saw firsthand how much he loves Lego sets.

After a hospital team member told Martha how popular Lego toys are with the kids there, she came up with the idea of creating a Lego donation drive in Elliott’s honor. 

“Building Legos helps patients pass time while in the hospital and gives them a sense of accomplishment,” says Martha. “Once built, the sets can add a little decoration to their hospital room or be a toy to play with.”

Great Minds Think Alike

As it turns out, Elliott and Martha were of like minds. Elliott had already told his mom that he wanted to donate Lego sets to the children at the hospital. It wasn’t long before Elliott, Martha, and English Estates Elementary were combining forces to brighten the lives of the young patients.

“We are a Leader in Me school and regularly engage in service projects through our Lighthouse Team,” says Nancy Urban, principal of English Estates. “Elliott is a member of this team. The Lego drive quickly became a meaningful and impactful service project for our school community.”

Students created Lego drive signs and donated sets, and supporters contributed through online wish lists. Thanks to the generosity of the community, about 300 new Lego sets have been donated, with hopes of reaching 500 by summer’s end, when the toys will be presented to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.

“The Lego drive brought awareness to the other students,” says Nancy, “and it allowed Elliott to share his message about being in the hospital and needing things to do to pass his time.”

For Elliott, each Lego box is an opportunity to help another child feel a little more like themselves during an especially difficult time. 

“He’s just a good kid,” says Heather. “He got dealt a bad hand but that hasn’t stopped him. He’s taught us all so much – about cancer and disease, but also about patience, loving each other, appreciating the little things, support, and community. We’re all better versions of ourselves because of him.”

Nancy agrees, adding, “Elliott is an incredibly brave and inspiring young leader whose compassion made a meaningful impact on others.”

As Elliott approaches the end of his treatment, with no reoccurrence of the cancer, he does have a dream Lego set: the collector’s edition Star Destroyer from Star Wars. However, Elliott’s greatest accomplishment isn’t something he’s built from plastic bricks – it’s the community he has inspired to come together and the smiles he is bringing to children in need of joy.