Kaiden is an exuberant and bright 5
year old, who is wise beyond his years. Most folks fall in love with him
instantly because he has never met a stranger. He's an amazing big
brother to his baby sister, Lucy, and shows her so much love and
affection! He loves all things cars and vows to own a purple Volkswagen
Beetle with smiley face hubcaps when he’s older. He also said he wants
to design Hot Wheels cars and real cars when he grows up. Hearing him
talk about his future always reminds me of how far we have come. There
was a time, not too long ago, when I didn’t know if he would live to see
5, let alone adulthood.
On March 25, 2010, when Kaiden was
just two and a half years old, he was diagnosed with cancer. After an
extensive brain surgery, we were told it was a highly aggressive, very
rare Grade 4 malignant tumor called a supra-tentorial Primitive
Neuro-ectodermal Tumor (sPNET). When speaking with our oncologist, she
gave us grave odds at Kaiden beating this cancer. Her words were, “The
odds are not great. They are not zero, but they are not good either.”
She introduced us to a very aggressive treatment plan which included; 4
months of intensive chemotherapy to take place on a weekly basis in the
hospital, 6 weeks of intensive radiation to the brain, followed by six
months of oral chemotherapy. We were told of the many side effects and
issues children who survive cancer have to deal with. If the cancer
didn’t kill Kaiden, the treatments very well could or at least cause
such severe side effects that our child would never be the same.
In June 2011, Kaiden’s first scans off treatment came back clear. We
started to feel a spark of hope that Kaiden had beaten the odds. He has
shown very little side effects from his treatments aside from the
horseshoe shaped scar across his head and a small bald patch from the
radiation. Our lives are showing some semblance of normalcy again and
with each clear scan Kaiden receives, we feel more and more hopeful.
Kaiden will continue to get scans throughout the years and the fear of
cancer returning will always be apart of our lives.
Throughout
his treatment, Kaiden maintained a positive, never give up attitude. I
have learned so much from my boy during this journey. He took it in
stride, rolled with the punches and continued to trust us, even when we
had to hold him down so the nurses could administer treatment. He now
bears a battle scar on his head, reminding us of what cancer tried to
take. He is a warrior, he is fierce, he is Kaiden, The Destroyer, and
cancer never stood a chance!
Kaiden's caringbridge: http://
Hope session by Monica Torres Photography
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