I never imagined I would write this for the world to see and to ask for the kindness of strangers but here’s our story.

On January 23rd my youngest brother was playing sand volleyball with his friends, on a Friday night, having a fun and carefree night until everything changed.

He dove for the ball and landed on his neck and shoulder area which seemed expected for sand volleyball and something a healthy young man could bounce back from, dust off his shorts, and overhand the next serve, not for my brother.

He was in a severe amount of pain and was taken to the hospital. After blood work and imaging the medical team found a suspected epidermal tumor near his neck area eroding through the bone. The doctors said he would need to see a specialist. On Tuesday January 27th, he was transferred to Barrow Neurological Institute.

The medical team at Barrow said my brother would need surgery to fuse his spine to stabilize his neck from the mass destroying the bone. This seemed straightforward and something that could be fixed in a simple surgery.

Before the spinal surgery finished, the head of neurosurgery at Barrow wanted to speak to my family regarding an MRI scan to further investigate this unknown mass.

This MRI was the scariest image I have witnessed in my 6 years as a RN. All I could see was a huge white paint splatter in the middle of his brain. The surgeon teared up delivering the news to my family. In my 6 years as a RN I have never witnessed a surgeon tear up speaking to a family.

On Sunday, February 8th, my brother Kaden was diagnosed with Chordoma. Chordoma is a rare, slow-growing malignant tumor that can grow at the base of the spine, the skull base, or the spine. For Kaden, this tumor has grown extensively and intricately throughout his neck, skull, and brain. The tumor has grown so much it is pressing on his brain stem.

Since surgery, Kaden has recovered well and the medical team at Barrow is working on a plan to remove as much tumor possible during a second surgery and treat the rest of the cancer with radiation.

This is the most heartbreaking and gut-wrenching news for my entire family that we never imagined we would ever receive.

I set up this fundraiser to help with the financial strain for my parents and my brother during this extremely difficult time in our lives.

If you are unable to donate, please send prayers, love, and healing energy to Kaden and my family.

Donations will go directly towards Kaden’s medical expenses, ongoing treatments, hospital stays, travel to and from appointments, and everyday essential needs so the family can focus fully on his care.

Kaden is 20 years old, his life just started and now he has to fight like hell to beat this awful cancer. Kaden is funny, sweet, intelligent, kind, and one of the best people I know.

Please share this story if you are able, it can help lift my family up in our time of need.

Thank you.