In mid November, Jayden began to have fevers (103.4), headaches, abdominal pain, and a rash. Mike and Roxy took him to the ER on November 30. Testing only showed low red and white blood cells, so they assumed he just had a bug. He was hospitalized for 3 days and went home. His symptoms continued and they were trying to manage things at home. He started to show signs of confusion and was very lethargic. Mike and Roxy brought him to his primary doctor who said to bring him to the ER. Jayden was hospitalized between December 11th and 20th. Their focus was trying to find a diagnosis.

After many consults with different teams and many tests including blood, spinal taps, MRI, the list goes on, we got a diagnosis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, an auto-immune disorder in which your body attacks itself. Lupus started to attack his kidneys, brain, and lymph nodes, They completed several treatments and Jayden was sent home to enjoy some time with his family before Christmas.

Unfortunately, on the morning of December 22, Jayden collapsed. Mike and Roxy rushed him to the hospital and his condition had worsened. Again, they consulted with the different teams. His confusion and general decline were the main concerns. He spent much of the next 2 weeks laying in bed. The doctors tried different treatments and consulted with each other when treatments were only mildly successful. The doctors determined it would be best to transfer Jayden over to the Lupus Center at Johns Hopkins in St. Petersberg, 45 miles from Mike and Roxy's home. When he got there on Monday afternoon, January 6, the doctors at Johns Hopkins jumped into action and ran several labs and had Jayden's previous scans re-read to determine what was missed. They have found Jayden's cholesterol was extremely high and triglycerides were off the charts, a result of Lupus wreaking havoc on his system. Jayden received a plasma cleaning procedure on January 9. We are waiting to see how well this works. We're hoping something will take and he can be on the mend and get back to school. As an athlete, sports have been an important part of his life. The photo of him is after his flag football championship. We are hoping he will one day be able to play again. Most importantly, the entire family needs to learn how to manage this life long, severe disease so he isn't put through lengthy hospital stays that will weaken his organs and body. As with all auto-immune diseases, he has to learn his limits and triggers. It's a lot for an 11, almost 12 year old to do.

Throughout all of this, Roxy has remained by Jayden's side at the hospital. Not only is she there as a protective mom, she's also there to be his voice as his confusion is limiting his ability to communicate with hospital staff. Roxy has burned through all of her PTO/vacation time and is now on unpaid FMLA. Mike comes to the hospital several times during the week and on weekends. He is still working full time, taking care of McKenzie, and doing the household chores.

This fundraiser will be used for expenses related to Jayden's care, now and in the future. The medications he is on are also expensive. It will also be used for expenses related to traveling to the hospital (45 miles away), as well as to replace some of Roxy's income while she is off caring for Jayden.

As Jayden's aunt, it's incredibly hard to live so far away from them. I know the rest of our family and Roxy's family in Peru feels the same way. We appreciate any help you can give them. Thank you for your consideration!