Boy Overcomes Rare Cancer, Inspires Others To ‘Keep Going’

Evan Lallo was greeted with high-fives and hugs as he made his way down the hall of Cleveland Clinic Children’s to ring the Bravery Bell. The moment marked the end of seven long months of cancer treatment for the 14 year old, who was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma in November 2024.

“I was surprised by how many people were there to support me that day. It meant a lot seeing everyone who cared for me along the way,” says Evan of Kirtland, Ohio.

Evan’s journey began in summer 2024, when he started having pain in his right shoulder. Active in athletics, playing basketball, football and lacrosse, his first diagnosis was rotator cuff tendinitis. He started treatment, but the pain and function of his right arm worsened as time went on. “It got to the point where I couldn’t even hold a pencil one day at school,” says Evan.

The searing pain eventually brought him and his family to the emergency department, searching for answers. While they still thought this could all possibly be from a sports injury, he eventually got an MRI that showed a mass on his neck. That’s when he was referred to Cleveland Clinic Children’s for more testing.

“It took quite an effort from a multidisciplinary team to identify what this was because it didn't seem like a typical place or behavior for common cancers we see in children. We worked together to figure out this was a bone tumor, called Ewing sarcoma, that happened to be growing along the nerves, which was causing pain and impacting his arm’s function,” says Evan’s pediatric oncologist Matteo Trucco, MD.

Following his diagnosis, Evan began treatment the next day. This involved multiple rounds of chemotherapy in the hospital and radiation therapy.

“Evan went from being a relatively healthy kid the day prior to cancer treatment for seven months. Along with the day-to-day appointments, we spent more than 70 nights in the hospital over the course of his treatment,” says Evan’s mom, Megan Lallo.

Although it was challenging, Evan pushed through while his care team and family tried to maintain a sense of normalcy. Megan says Evan’s teachers met with him to keep him connected to his schoolwork – while Dr. Trucco worked with Evan’s family and coaches to make a special moment possible for the basketball lover.

“At the beginning of all this, the basketball season was starting. And since basketball is his favorite sport, we were able to get special approval to let Evan go in for a play during one of the games,” says Megan.

“My teammate passed me the ball, and I went to the left side of the basket to shoot it and made it on the first try. It was very cool,” exclaims Evan.

Megan says this took courage, as Evan had lost a lot of function in his right arm due to the tumor’s impact on his nerves and spine. After he got to a stable point in his cancer treatment, addressing the mobility in his arm was next.

“Evan responded very well to treatment. The tumor kept shrinking, but he was still struggling with his arm function,” says Dr. Trucco. “One of the benefits of being at an institution like Cleveland Clinic is you have people with expertise in very specific areas, like Dr. Megan Jack, who’s an expert on peripheral nerve surgery.”

“We were watching Evan closely to see if treating the cancer would take the pressure off his nerves and allow them to heal on their own. Fortunately, he regained a significant amount of function in his bicep, so he can bend his elbow. However, he didn’t recover much movement in his shoulder, which affected his ability to lift his arm up,” says peripheral nerve neurosurgeon Megan Jack, MD.

To improve his shoulder mobility, Dr. Jack opted to do what’s called a nerve transfer. “The procedure involves taking a healthy nerve and connecting it to a damaged nerve. The goal is to restore function as the nerve that’s transferred grows and connects with the muscle,” says Dr. Jack, who’s only one of a handful of neurosurgeons in the U.S. to perform this type of procedure.

In May 2025, Evan underwent a successful nerve transfer. From here, Dr. Jack says the healing process takes time and must be paired with physical therapy. While his shoulder is already showing signs of improvement, Evan reached another milestone: completing his cancer treatment. By June 2025, his scans showed no signs of cancer remaining. Evan celebrated by ringing the Bravery Bell, surrounded by his care team, friends and family. Funds to support the occasion came from a Cleveland Clinic Catalyst Grant aimed at personalizing experiences for patients.

“It was a life-defining moment that was months in the making – filled with relief, pride and gratitude for the community of support we’ve had with us throughout this time,” says Megan.

Evan adds, “It was nice seeing everyone who helped care for me over all those months, even one of my favorite nurses drove a long way to be there and surprise me.”

With his cancer treatment behind him, Evan looks forward to going back to school full time and being able to enjoy the activities he loves again when his arm heals.

“I can’t wait to get back to playing sports with my friends, especially basketball,” says Evan.

Dr. Jack says, “I joked with Evan that I probably can't make him a professional player, but I'm hopeful he can get back to playing on his basketball team.”

Evan and Megan are grateful for the care Evan received and hope sharing his story offers encouragement to others facing similar challenges.

“Your child getting sick is every parent’s worst fear, but we were lucky enough to have the medical team we did at Cleveland Clinic to get us through this. Evan listened to the doctors, persevered, and was incredibly resilient. Not once did he ask, ‘Why me,’ says Megan.

Evan says, “I stayed focused on what needed to be done so I could get back to doing all the things I love. ‘Just keep going,’ is my message to others.”