Support Caden's Journey to Recovery

Meet Caden, our bubbly 17 month old boy, who loves everyone and everything. He has such a love for life, the silliest personality, and such a bright mind. It broke our hearts when we learned that the swelling in his neck was not just a simple infection that could be cured with antibiotics.

Caden was recently diagnosed with a bone tumor in his jaw, desmoplastic fibroma. This type of bone tumor makes up only .1% of all bone tumors and is normally benign, but in some cases it can turn malignant. It has spread to some of the surrounding area of the jaw as well. He goes for a PET scan next week and a full body CAT scan to ensure it has not spread elsewhere in his body. It is so rare, especially in such a young age, that there are few surgeons experienced with this, one of them being in Florida. We have met with him virtually, and explored many options, and in a few weeks, we will fly out to Florida to meet him in person, where he will perform a bone biopsy, and then perform jaw reconstructive surgery on Caden. Caden needs to have many muscles/tissues/glands removed on the right side of his face, and most importantly, his right mandibular has to be removed. The surgeon will reconstruct his jaw bone with one of his ribs, which interesting enough, will regrow! Of course with such an extensive surgery comes a very long road to recovery ahead for not only Caden, but our entire family. He will be sedated for a few weeks on a breathing tube and feeding tube, and will have to undergo various types of aftercare- such as a diet change, chemotherapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, etc. He will need ongoing care throughout his life, as there is unfortunately a high reoccurrence rate for this type of bone tumor, and as he grows he will need a handful of surgeries to correct the jaw to grow with his body.

We are asking our community, friends, and family, for help in raising funds to help Caden and our family get through this very rough time. Funds will go towards medical expenses, traveling expenses, anything Caden may need during this time, after care expenses, and to help us stay afloat with many weeks of missed work while we support our son.

We thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for all of the love and support during this time, Caden definitely feels all of you rooting for him! ❤️ —McKenzie & Hunter.