LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News ) – A Las Vegas father is warning other parents to make sure they’re paying attention to their child’s health, even if the symptoms seem pretty simple.

Richard Portillo says checking on his 11-year-old for a headache recently led to an emergency situation where his son ended up needing brain surgery.

Last week, 11-year-old Elijah was flown from Las Vegas to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City. Doctors performed emergency surgery to remove a 3cm tumor from the base of his skull.

Two months ago, Elijah, a student at Jack L. Schofield Middle School, fell at school and had trouble standing. When his family took him to the doctor’s office, a staff member evaluated him and determined he was fine, saying his blood pressure might have been the cause.

But for two weeks, Elijah’s headaches escalated to the point where he lost sleep, and that’s when the family took him to the emergency room.

A CAT scan revealed a mass in Elijah’s brain.

“The doctor said he had to be flown to Utah,” Portillo said.

Late last week, doctors in Salt Lake City performed a seven-hour surgery.

“I’m so relieved that he went through with the surgery. I am forever, forever grateful. I feel like the prayers worked 100 percent,” Portillo said.

The father said he is awaiting word on whether a second surgery is needed.

“The biggest lesson learned for us parents is to react. A lot of people say they’re trying to get out of school or something. This was not the case. He had a life-threatening condition,” Portillo said.

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