Seminole County boy launches Lego drive for hospitalized children

A 9-year-old Fern Park student has turned a frightening cancer battle into a schoolwide Lego drive for children who are spending long days in the hospital. Elliot Pritzker, a student at English Estates Elementary at 299 Oxford Road, started the effort with help from teachers and classmates, and the collection has already grown to hundreds of Lego sets.

Elliot said Legos were one of the few things that brought him comfort while he was hospitalized because building gave him something creative and familiar to focus on during intense treatment. That experience shaped a drive aimed at children at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, where families often face treatment routines that stretch far beyond a single clinic visit.

His diagnosis began in February 2024, when what first looked like a sports-related stress fracture led doctors to find B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL. Later in the fight, Elliot spent three days in the ICU during a close call that underscored how serious the illness had become. He is now in remission and expects to finish chemotherapy at the end of August.

At English Estates Elementary, students turned the project into a schoolwide competition to collect the most bricks and sets. The response reflects more than one child’s hobby; it points to the daily needs of hospitalized children who benefit from distractions that are portable, familiar and easy to use during treatment. English Estates is part of Seminole County Public Schools, which says its mission is to help students acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be productive citizens.

Orlando Health says Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children has served Central Florida children for more than 30 years, and its emergency department is the only Level One Trauma Center for children in Central Florida. The hospital also has pediatric specialists in more than 30 subspecialties, a reminder of the scale of care behind the children who will receive the donated sets.

Elliot’s mother, Heather Pritzker, said the effort grew from her son’s idea and the school’s support. Elliot plans to donate the Legos in August, giving other children a small but meaningful way to spend time while they recover. In Seminole County, the drive shows how one child’s recovery can become a practical act of care for many others.