Hope, Strength, and Healing for families coping with a child cancer diagnosis

Meet Keaton Kiddo ~ Camila

Although Mom shared there have been several difficult moments, positivity and optimism are what keep her going. She has been there for Camila every step of the way and encourages Camila to remain strong and not let anything hold her back from setting goals and achieving her dreams.

Recently, our Family Navigator Team at Keaton’s had the pleasure of meeting Camila and hand-delivered a hope chest for her and her siblings. They expressed so much gratitude and shared how thankful they are for Keaton’s ongoing support. To contribute with their commutes for treatment, our team was happy to provide Arco gas cards and also gave Camila’s family a financial grant to support with other expenses. As with all families in our program, our hope was to alleviate some stress so that Camila and her family can focus solely on her treatment.

We truly enjoy meeting our Keaton Kiddos and their loved ones, and offering multiple types of support as families endure their childhood cancer journey, a battle that no one should fight alone!

Meet beautiful Camila, a sweet and kind 14-year old who loves to hang out with friends, and spend time with her family. On July 28th, 2021, Camila was unfortunately diagnosed with a rare Ovarian Tumor called Sex Cord-Stromal Tumor (SCST). Although this type of tumor is found present in a broad age group of girls and women, it is very rare and represents only 7% of all primary ovarian tumors. Despite this rare diagnosis and challenges that come with any pediatric cancer, Camila has remained resilient and is not letting her diagnosis stop her from shining.

After a year of online learning, Camila has recently returned to in-person school and is so excited to be back. While meeting with our Navigator team, Camila shared how much she missed being in school as well as how much she enjoys it and is having fun being around her friends again. Along with being social, Camila gets the most out of her education and dedicates herself to learning. She even got 100% on her first exam!

Entering the world of childhood cancer has been hard on Camila and her family. Her mom shared that with a language barrier, she has experienced some challenges connecting with professionals for Camila’s medical treatment. Fortunately, bilingual staff at Keaton’s and at Camila’s treatment hospital has supported mom with this and will continue to be of support throughout Camila’s journey.

Meet Keaton’s Kiddo – Dallas

Little one-year-old Dallas enjoys playing ball, being a Dallas Cowboys fan, and watching Mickey Mouse and Sonic. In October 2022, his life changed when he was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma, a cancer that spreads to distant parts of the body such as distant lymph nodes, bones, liver, skin, bone marrow, or other organs. Since receiving this diagnosis, Dallas’s family had to quickly adapt to the challenges that many families face with a childhood cancer diagnosis.

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Meet Keaton’s Kiddo – Angelee

Let us celebrate Angelee for reaching her maintenance milestone and returning to school. Keaton’s has been part of Angelee’s journey since she was first diagnosed about a year ago. We have been able to see Angelee grow and get to know what an amazing 8-year-old she is. We have enjoyed connecting with her extremely supportive family that have been with every step of the way, and we are honored to be a part of their support system.

“It started as a normal weekend for us and ended with Jaylen being in the hospital for two weeks. Thankfully, we noticed the signs his body was showing us, petechiae and lots of random bruises, that something was not right.”

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Meet Keaton’s Kiddo – Jaylen

Jaylen is a sweet and thoughtful 4-year-old. Jaylen was diagnosed almost 6 months ago with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. His Mom shared the journey from her perspective.

“It started as a normal weekend for us and ended with Jaylen being in the hospital for two weeks. Thankfully, we noticed the signs his body was showing us, petechiae and lots of random bruises, that something was not right.”

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