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‘A miracle by God’: Ringgold senior grateful for prayers after cancer scare

Contributed photo / Elijah Pursley receives a hug from his cousin Regina Harris as his mother Jamie Pursley looks on during a prayer vigil at Ringgold High School's Don Patterson Field on March 8, the day before he was scheduled to undergo surgery to remove a tumor that had been diagnosed as cancerous. Pursley was a senior receiver for the Tigers last fall.
Contributed photo / Elijah Pursley receives a hug from his cousin Regina Harris as his mother Jamie Pursley looks on during a prayer vigil at Ringgold High School's Don Patterson Field on March 8, the day before he was scheduled to undergo surgery to remove a tumor that had been diagnosed as cancerous. Pursley was a senior receiver for the Tigers last fall. Contributed photo / Elijah Pursley receives a hug from his cousin Regina Harris as his mother Jamie Pursley looks on during a prayer vigil at Ringgold High School's Don Patterson Field on March 8, the day before he was scheduled to undergo surgery to remove a tumor that had been diagnosed as cancerous. Pursley was a senior receiver for the Tigers last fall.

By Lindsey Young 6 min read

RINGGOLD, Ga. — The Easter season means different things to different people, but for Elijah Pursley, Easter in 2026 will forever be remembered as a life-changing time.

The Ringgold High School senior student-athlete, in one 48-hour period in March, went from facing a cancer diagnosis to being cancer-free.

It’s what happened in between that has Pursley, his family, friends and community in the full Easter spirit.

“It’s a miracle by God,” Ringgold football coach Austin Crisp said. “There’s really no other way to explain it.”

Pursley first noticed a lump in one of his testicles after Ringgold’s football scrimmage against Tyner last August when a post-play celebration resulted in an accidental knee to his groin. Months later, the lump hadn’t gone away.