Like a lot of other boys his age, 3-year-old Eli Alexander loves sports (he’s a huge fan of the Chicago Blackhawks), monster trucks (he has about 27 miniature trucks and counting) and pirates (at least the ones depicted on his favorite TV show, “Jake and The Never Land Pirates”).

In fact, in October, Eli and his family will be taking a special trip to Disney World, just so the young Indiana boy can fulfill his “one true wish,” to finally meet Jake and his jolly, seafaring crew.

Above anything else, though, Eli is a fighter — just several months ago, the 3-year-old finally wrapped up more than six months worth of chemotherapy treatment for medulloblastoma, a fast growing type of brain cancer, that, if doctors hadn’t discovered it as early as they did, could very well have cost the boy his life.

“If you ask him, he’ll very proudly tell you that he ‘kicked cancer’s butt,’” said Eli’s mother, Amber.

With the help of family, friends and supporters in Dowagiac, the Alexanders are looking to do what they can to help other children avoid what Eli has endured this past year.

On Saturday, Sept. 12, the family will host a golf outing at Indian Lake Golf Course in Dowagiac, which tees off 1 p.m. Organized by Eli’s uncle and Dowagiac native Greg Alexander, the event will raise money for Northwestern Indiana Cancer Kids and Comer Children’s Hospital at the University of Chicago, a cancer support organization and treatment center, respectively, that assisted Eli during his 8-month battle with cancer.

“It’s a way for us to pay it forward, and to thank them for helping us during our journey and, in Comer’s case, for saving my son’s life,” Amber said.

Later that evening, at 5 p.m. the Dowagiac Elks Lodge will host a spaghetti dinner, with proceeds going toward paying for Eli’s treatment costs. This fundraiser is being put together by Dowagiac’s Danielle Taylor and Kelsey Cleveland, active supporters of Relay for Life and other cancer research programs.

Eli, who lives in Lake Station, Indiana, with his mother, father (Jeff, a native of Dowagiac and Southwestern Michigan College alumnus) and 1-year-old brother, Oliver, was diagnosed with medulloblastoma last November, on the day before Thanksgiving, Amber said. The month prior, the boy was having issues with his coordination, which concerned Amber and her husband, she said.

Immediately after a doctor discovered the 4-centimeter tumor growing on Eli’s brainstem, he was immediately transported to Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago, where doctors successfully removed the growth in less than 48 hours after admission, Amber said.

Following the surgery and his subsequent chemotherapy treatment, Eli shows no further signs of having the disease, and is expected to be cleared following one last exam in October, his mother said. While he is recovering from the ordeal quickly, he does have some slight hearing loss due to the radiation, and will continue to have routine cancer screenings, into adulthood.

“They’re small prices to pay for his life,” Amber said.

As would be expected, Amber has learned a lot about her son’s condition during the past year, and about the greater issue of childhood cancer in general.

“We have some friends we’ve met over the last few months who have kids who are still going through chemo,” Amber said. “It breaks my heart, because they’ve haven’t been as blessed as Eli.”

Through Eli’s upcoming fundraisers, the mother hopes to spread greater awareness for organizations that support childhood cancer research, she said.

Amber also thanked the members of the Dowagiac community who are supporting Eli next weekend, and those for those who have already shown their generosity to him and his family throughout the last several months, she said.

“If you ever doubt the goodness of humanity, I hope you don’t have to go through what we have to see that people are great,” Amber said.

The Sept. 12 golf outing will be a scramble, consisting of teams of four people. The cost is $50 per person to enter. To reserve a spot or more information, call Greg Alexander at (313) 964-5164.

Tickets for the spaghetti dinner cost $10 a person, and can be purchased at Booth’s Country Florist, located 111 Commercial St., or at the door on the day of the event. In addition to spaghetti, salad and garlic bread, attendees will have a chance to enjoy ice cream served by Larry Hewitt’s custom-made ice cream maker.