Kaden’s Courage

Kaden’s story
This is Kaden! Her journey began a little over four years ago, the summer before her junior year of high school. Kaden was an outgoing cheerleader. That summer she began having pain in her left hip. Over the next eight months she would see multiple doctors who all misdiagnosed her with a sports injury. In February 2015, Kaden was officially diagnosed with stage 2B Ewing’s Sarcoma, a form of pediatric bone cancer. Over the next year, she would endure 17 rounds of chemo and 32 days of radiation. The aggressive treatment was difficult, but worked and rid Kaden of the cancer. Kaden was able to graduate high school and started her first year of college. Six months after finishing treatment and beating cancer, Kaden would be diagnosed with Secondary Acute Myeloid Leukemia. One of the chemotherapies Kaden received during her treatment had caused her to develop leukemia. After just one round of chemo, Kaden became very sick with a rare fungal infection. After many surgeries and painful treatments to rid the fungus, Kaden survived the life threatening fungal infection. After Thanksgiving, Kaden and her parents packed up and moved 500 miles from home to Nashville, TN, so Kaden could begin treatment to prepare her for her upcoming bone marrow transplant. Transplant was her only cure. Kaden had two more rounds of chemo in TN before she could receive her transplant. While the idea was the chemo would kill all the leukemia cells before her transplant, Kaden’s leukemia was so strong she had to go forward with the transplant with 3% leukemia in her marrow. While this put Kaden at high risk for relapse in the future, her doctors felt Kaden could wait no longer and they needed to proceed with transplant. The transplant was successful in ridding her body of the leukemia and Kaden was able to reach remission. Kaden was able to go back to college and continue her education. Almost a year and a half passed before Kaden relapsed with leukemia and received her third cancer diagnosis. She is currently receiving very aggressive chemotherapy to rid her body of the leukemia. Again, transplant is her only cure! She will have to move back to Nashville, TN again and have another bone marrow transplant.

The costs:
There is significant cost associated with treatment.
Logistically and financially this is difficult. Kaden and her parents will have to move to TN for at least four months. Last time they ended up being there eight months. They will have to lease an apartment within close proximity to the hospital and there will be trips back to AR to bring her brother and sister out during this time as well. Kaden will be admitted to the hospital for about eight weeks. When she is discharged she will be on many medications, some iv medications and fluids will have to be special ordered for her at home needs. She will have to be seen on an outpatient basis daily which means hospital co-pays daily. Depending on how fast Kaden’s health improves after the transplant, additional bills can add up fast. Please consider contributing to the costs associated with Kaden’s care. Kaden and her family are thankful for any donations, as well as all of the love and support they are receiving.