NORFOLK, Va. — Cayden Addison has a rare form of cancer and needs a bone marrow transplant. A Chesapeake family is asking for the community's help in saving their 7-year-old boy.
This weekend, a local business owner who heard his story wants to help the child find a match.
"Cayden is such a lovely boy. He's so sweet. He's very cuddly. He's also very hilarious. A typical, sweet, 7-year-old boy," said Courtney Addison, the child's mother.
Courtney said her son has had quite the journey the last few years.
In April 2020, the fun-loving boy was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia.
"It started with leg pains, which we thought were just growing pains," she said.
For the next two years, Cayden underwent chemotherapy treatments, and a series of hospital stays, which at times, Courtney says were terrifying.
In 2022, he finished his treatments and went into remission. However, months later, in February 2023, the cancer returned, and he started chemotherapy again.
Doctors also recommended a new treatment that required the family to stay at Duke University in North Carolina for several weeks in May and October of last year. Unfortunately, those treatments were not successful, said Courtney.
Now, Cayden needs a bone marrow transplant.
Last year, the family learned they had two viable donor matches, but unfortunately, both fell through.
“I just found out yesterday that his numbers are starting to come up again. That’s why it’s very time-sensitive and vital that we find a good viable match," said Courtney.
This weekend, Tree Kelty, owner of Soulfull Vegan VA, is doing something to help.
"If we can help take that burden off of another mother, why not help? I mean that's what we are here to do: help one another," said Kelty,
On Sunday, Kelty is hosting a vegan wellness expo at the Norfolk Scope Arena, and when she caught wind of Cayden's story, she wanted to give an opportunity for people to get tested to be a potential bone marrow donor.
All it takes is a simple swab of the mouth.
"People can come in, we want them to swab, to see if they can be a match and help Cayden get the bone marrow he needs," said Kelty.
She is partnering with the NMDP, formerly known as Be The Match. The organization helps connect people with bone marrow donors.
She got the idea from her mother, who is a longtime volunteer for NMDP.
Her mom encouraged Kelty to search for people in need of a bone marrow transplant in Virginia, and they learned about Cayden, who had just lost his donor.
"So it was serendipitous. It was meant to happen,” she said.
Black and African American patients diagnosed with blood cancers, sickle cell and leukemia have a 29 percent chance of finding a matching, available donor on the NMDP registry, according to the organization. That's because more Black and African American donors are needed, and patients are most likely to match a donor who shares their ethnic background.
Courtney Addison says no one in the family is a match, and it would mean the world to find that person who could help save her son.
"It really means a lot. This is a matter of a child’s life. My son is only 7, and he’s the sweetest child in the world and it breaks my heart that he has to go through this at all, and we should not have to worry if he can make it through this or not," said Courtney. “If people can just take this simple step just to get tested and see if they can be a match, it would mean the world, not just for us but for other families that are going through this as well.”
The Soulfull Vegan Health and Wellness Expo will take place on Sunday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Norfolk Scope Arena.
Kelty describes the event as a “health and wellness expo with a vegan twist.” It will feature fitness and culinary demonstrations, and all products will be vegan, or plant-based.
It is free to anyone who wants to attend.