14-Year-Old From Houston Sells Homemade Baked Goods After School To Help Mom With Medical Bills

Mar 13, 2020 by apost team

When Tina Hernandez fell ill and struggled with paying off her medical bills, her 14-year-old son Elijah Cossio was not willing to sit back and not do his part to help. 

Instead, the teenager wakes up every morning at 5am to bake desserts he sells after school – all so he can help his mother get the treatment she needs. 

Back in June of 2017, Tina Hernandez, a proud mom of three, contracted a deadly bacterial infection while working out at the gym. Tina was so sick that she had to be hospitalized for three months.

Speaking with reporters from PEOPLE, Tina said that she had to have five surgeries and three blood transfusions. Tina was even clinically dead for 14 minutes after her first surgery. Looking back on the whirlwind events, the young mom says that she has almost no memories of the entirety of her three-month treatment.

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Tina’s illness also took an incredible toll on her family. 14-year-old Elijah Cossio, Tina’s son, confided to friends and supporters on a GoFundMe page that he set up to help pay his mother’s medical expenditures that oftentimes when he visited his mom in the hospital, he wasn’t sure if he would ever see her again. Even after she was out of the woods, Tina still faced a long road to recovery that included months of extensive therapy.

The infection had been so destructive for Tina that therapists had to re-teach Tina many basic functions, such as walking and going to the bathroom on her own. This therapy obviously meant more medical bills for the family.

Not content to just sit around and watch as his mother drowned in debt for her much needed treatment, Elijah came up with an amazing way to help her with her medical expenses.

Speaking with KTRK News, Elijah told of how he helps his mother by holding daily bake sales at school. Elijah had developed a love of baking at a young age and had held bake sales prior to his mother’s illness so that he could have money of his own. Elijah credits his mother with helping him develop such a positive work ethic, noting that she instilled in him the belief that nothing is ever handed to people. The teen boy took his well-established work ethic and began using it to help his mom.

Each morning, Elijah wakes up at 5 a.m. to bake the treats that he sells to his classmates, their parents, and other people in the community after school. Among the most popular items that Elijah sells at his school are fudge brownies, red velvet cupcakes, cherry cheesecakes, and chocolate chip cookies.

Elijah once again credits his mother for his baking abilities, telling PEOPLE that Tina has been baking for the past 15 years.

Elijah’s actions have thus far been amazing for his family. The teen’s baked goods make as much as $150 a day, with weekends being even more profitable. In a new fundraiser launched this very week, Elijah vastly surpassed his $100 goal, quickly earning $6,100 for his mom.

Now that his mother is feeling better, Elijah is looking forward to continuing his love for baking. After graduating high school, Elijah plans on joining the United States Army, where he hopes to be an engineer. After serving his country, Elijah wants to go to culinary school and open his own cupcake truck.

In the end, Elijah’s actions are a testament to how far someone can go if they never give up. Through his tireless actions, Elijah was able to help his mother with her medical bills and even found his lifelong passion.

What do you think of Elijah’s story? How old were you when you decided what career you wanted to pursue as an adult? Let us know in the comments - and make sure you pass this along to your friends and family!