Support Jaxon Bennett's Fight Against Neuroblastoma

Hi, My name is Denee Pettit. I am asking for support to help my son and his family while my 14-month-old grandson, Jaxon Bennett, is being treated for stage 2, intermediate neuroblastoma.

On May 7th, just 5 days after Jaxon turned one, a large mass in his chest was found on an x-ray. Jaxon had been continuously fighting cold symptoms for months and had taken 3 rounds of antibiotics. The runny nose would subside but the wheeze would not clear. His parents asked the doctor to order a chest x-ray in April but the doctor did not think it was necessary. They insisted and on May 7th within 45 minutes of having the chest x-ray, Jaxon’s mother received a call from the radiologist and was informed that Jaxon had a large mass in his chest and needed to get to Mary Bridge immediately. Life has drastically changed since that phone call.

My son Kyle has been determined to work as much as possible to ensure Jaxon has insurance benefits. They are a single-earner household and Jaxon has 2 older siblings. But, as you can imagine some weeks they are at the doctor almost every day and it is just not possible for Kyle to work full time. With Jaxon being so young, he has to be sedated or put under general anesthesia for tests, scans, and surgeries such as the biopsy. After each test, scan, or surgery there is recovery and follow-up. On Saturday, June 1st Jaxon had his first chemotherapy treatment. All his treatments are inpatient treatments and require one to four-night stays. Physically, mentally, and emotionally this has been difficult for Jaxon’s mom and dad. His parents could use some help while they are attending to Jaxon’s basic needs.

Little Jaxon is an inspiration to us all and deals with treatment with grace. He has endured more in a short time than I have in my entire life.

For the last couple of months, I have tried to keep our friends and family up to date on testing, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. I will continue to do so here on this page. The doctors did a chest x-ray last week and Jaxon is responding positively to treatment. However, he still has several months to go. The best case scenario is 2 more months but most likely 6 more months of treatment. He may also need to have surgery in the future.

We have heard from many of you and are so grateful for your kind words of support and love. Your thoughts, prayers, cards, and gifts have meant so much to all of us. Please continue to pray! With more chemotherapy comes more risk of side effects, such as infection and sepsis. Thank you all for reading Jaxon's story. Your support is appreciated! Love, Jaxon, Kyle, Melanie, Denee, and family.